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Old 07-31-2012, 08:20 PM
 
Location: Greater Austin Area
224 posts, read 545,906 times
Reputation: 143

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My rental property is near San Antonio, and I have only been a landlord a couple months since we moved. The hot water heater just apparently went out and the plumber can't come out for a couple days.

Does anyone have any recent experience with getting a new one installed? I am concerned about the cost, that this months rent will cover it. Otherwise I may have a problem since my husband just got laid off last week.

Any info would be helpful. It's electric, btw.
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Old 07-31-2012, 09:05 PM
 
Location: Texas
5,717 posts, read 18,912,049 times
Reputation: 11226
If the unit is just not heating the water, it's probably just the heat element gone bad which is common in San Antonio with our hard water. Repair should be less than $100.00 unless it's an off brand heater/element. Full replacement can be expensive depending on the capacity of the unit and just how good of a unit you buy. AVOID any of the box stores water heaters. Even though they may appear to be exactly like a plumbing supply house unit, they are most definitely different and cheaply made. You'll be replacing far sooner than a better made unit.
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Old 07-31-2012, 09:23 PM
 
Location: Orlando
8,276 posts, read 12,855,535 times
Reputation: 4142
Check out if the utility offers a special to install super efficient water heaters... Our local one offers a $600 credit which brings the price down to $400 for a system that uses 1/3 or less the power... your tenants will love that.
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Old 07-31-2012, 09:45 PM
 
4,323 posts, read 7,229,965 times
Reputation: 3488
Quote:
Originally Posted by AONE View Post
Check out if the utility offers a special to install super efficient water heaters... Our local one offers a $600 credit which brings the price down to $400 for a system that uses 1/3 or less the power... your tenants will love that.
Here in San Antonio, it's a $50 rebate for super-efficient gas water heaters, no rebates for electric.
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Old 08-01-2012, 06:55 AM
 
Location: NW San Antonio
2,982 posts, read 9,833,069 times
Reputation: 3356
I bought an electric one at Lowes for $250, 50 gal. its only two pipes and some gasket/seal for connections. You should be out less than $300 if you pay someone to do it. Even craigslist has some handyman guys, just make sure you don't pay in advance, go buy the water heater yourself, most of them will carry it to the property, and then pay when they are finished.
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Old 08-01-2012, 07:32 AM
 
Location: New Braunfels, TX
7,130 posts, read 11,828,800 times
Reputation: 8043
So.....you're saying $50 parts and labor to replace a hot water heater? Good luck with getting a licensed plumber to do it for that price. If you DO find someone willing to do it that cheaply, be very, very cautious - chances are they're not licensed, because good plumbers are plenty busy without having to work for $20-25/hour.
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Old 08-01-2012, 07:58 AM
 
Location: San Antonio
1,287 posts, read 3,818,500 times
Reputation: 928
I replaced mine about 2 years ago. It was very simple. If you don't count the time to drain, it took me less than an hour to disconnect/wheel the old one out and reconnect the new one. You just need to evaluate the difficulty of doing it. Mine was very simple. Unplug, drain, unscrew the hot/cold lines, emergency drain, wheel it out.

I wouldn't pay someone $170+ (parts, labor, call out fee) when you can get a new one for just over $200 (depending on size of course). My big box water heater lasted 6+ years and it wasn't properly maintained. My new one has been properly maintained and I expect to get that much or more out of it.

If you do need a plumber though, let me know and I'll dm you the contact info for mine (I do recognize there are certain things I shouldn't do, lol).
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Old 08-01-2012, 08:24 AM
 
Location: New Braunfels, TX
7,130 posts, read 11,828,800 times
Reputation: 8043
I would suggest sending the OP any info on folks that can do this that you know will do it properly - since they're out of town, it'd save them headaches, I'd bet!

Goodmanm, I'm with you - I do 99% of my own household repairs. Having grown up in a family-owned hardware store in Leon Valley with a father that was tighter'n a ten-cent drum , I was taught a wide variety of skills. Used to think how "mean" Dad was to make me do so many things. As I got older, I realized just how much money I was able to save, and still have the job done properly!
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Old 08-01-2012, 09:11 AM
 
145 posts, read 378,743 times
Reputation: 86
Goodmanm, can yo please dm your plumbers name/# if you get a chance. Just moved here a couple of months ago and have a need for a reliable one. We are in Stone Oak. Thanks in advance, I appreciate it.
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Old 08-04-2012, 04:05 PM
 
Location: Kallison Ranch, San Antonio,TX.
1,671 posts, read 3,840,681 times
Reputation: 727
If you select a big outfit STAY AWAY from Aramendia and Wil Fit It unless you want to give them the keys to one of the units for payment. Moderator cut: see note

Last edited by BstYet2Be; 08-05-2012 at 12:52 AM.. Reason: too descriptive
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