There's never a convenient time for a water heater to fail. But here are a few things to keep in mind to avoid making it any more inconvenient …
This past week we bought and installed a new water heater. (See picture above.) The week before we noticed that there was a pool of water in the overflow pan, and proceeded to get the best deal we could with what could be an imminent emergency.
The point at the end of the last post on the subject was after we had bought the water heater, and had drained and taken the old one out. We had yet to install the new one.
In this post I'll talk about some of the issues that we ran into along the way to bring up a few things that might help you the next time you're face this this kind of issue.
Installing the water heater was not as smooth as we had planned
First off, let me say that I personally take very little credit for getting the new water heater in. This was the result of my family's handiwork (my wife and her parents), and almost none of mine. All I did really was help get the water heaters (yes, plural heaters!) into the basement.
Anyway, here's what we ran into along the way.
What's shown online as being in-stock isn't necessarily in-stock
With as much computerized inventory as stores have, you might suspect that everything “just works” and you see what's available up to the minute.
Nope.
My wife called a number of Lowe's stores near to us, and the water heater we had decided on wasn't in the stores, even though the website said that it was available. As it turned out, there was a reason why things were a bit out of sync between the stores and the website.
Models come and go, and the one you've chose may be on the way out
The model we were looking at buying happened to be one that was no longer being restocked by Lowe's. As such, they were down to the last units of that model. There wasn't any indication of this on the website; we had to call the store to find this out.
If the model is on the way out, they're more likely to be defective
Another facet of “end of life” for models is that what they were selling was more likely to be an “open box” item, like a customer return or a floor model. Again, this wasn't on the website; we had to call.
Sometimes, despite due diligence, you end up with a bad unit
We got the first water heater Wednesday night. Thursday morning we opened the box, and found the unit dented in a number of places. So … back on the phone again with Lowe's to explain the problem.
We took it back to the store and they accepted it without any hassle, and believed us that we didn't cause the damage to it. So that was nice.
If this is the first replacement of that appliance in you house, there may be … things to discover
Like the fact that the valve to the expansion tank of the water heater was installed on the wrong side. Like the valve doesn't completely shut off. Like there's a shut-off valve that, when opened, dumps to an open line underneath the sun porch where a faucet used to be, and that it was only by chance that you heard the sump kick on when it wasn't raining, and then went to investigate.
How to reduce the hassle of getting a new water heater
We got through this one with about 12 hours more of a wait than we planned. It involved a couple more trips to hardware stores and the like, a few more choice words, a couple of re-juggled schedules, and a few extra problems to solve.
Here's a summary of what we ran up against (so that you don't have to!):
- Ask if a model is current or going out of stock. If the store is up-front with you (as I have to assume Lowe's is) then they'll tell you. There will likely be less hassle if you're buying a model that's still being restocked.
- Plan for more time than you think you'll need. Someone who has done dozens of installations of a particular appliance will have a better idea how long an installation will take. Someone who has done it (maybe) once? Not likely. Plan for lots of time to reduce frustration. If things go well, then hey, it's a bonus, but there will likely be a lot of figuring out what's going on and problem-solving the first time around or two.
- Check the packaging very carefully for holes or other signs that the box has been handled roughly. Is it a guarantee that the item will be in good shape when you get it home? No, but chances will be better.
- Do things methodically. Find the best instructions you can on removing the old appliance, and installing your new model. (Lowe's instructions were excellent.) Verify what you can along the way (is the power really off? is the water supply really shut off? etc.) Take your time and get another set of eyes on what you're doing.
- Don't be afraid to cut bait and get help if things are really going south. Know when you're in over your head. It's happened before to me, and it will happen again. (Fortunately it didn't happen this time but it easily could have!)
Years back, in my former residence, I had to have mine replaced. I used a guy that I’ve been in touch with for various odd jobs over the years. Our current heater in our house now is getting up in age so I suspect that will need replacing soon. My plan is to use the same guy if possible 🙂
We have a handyman who’s gotten me out of a number of jams (mostly plumbing-related jams). He was inexpensive and good for what we asked. So … yeah 🙂
John, thanks for mentioning the importance of asking for help, if you don’t know what you are doing. It seems like it is important to make sure you are properly installing a water heater so there aren’t any future problems. I would think the safest option is to contact a professional to ensure that the water heater is installed safely and correctly.
We’ve thrown in the towel on other repairs, but this one was fairly straightforward once we got one that worked. Plus my family is good at figuring things out.