Questions · Water heaters
Replacing a builder grade water heater
Builders install the unit that meets code at the lowest cost, sized for a generic household. In hard water, that unit is usually the first thing in the house to go. Replacing it is also the cheapest moment to fix what came with it: the shutoff, the connectors, the pan and the drain.
What usually came with it
- A tank sized for a smaller household than the one living there now
- A shutoff valve that has not been turned in years and may not seat again
- Connectors and a drain valve chosen for price
- A pan with no drain, or a drain that goes nowhere useful
- No softener in front of it, in water that badly wants one
Worth doing while it is open
- A new quarter turn shutoff, so the next person can isolate it in one move
- New supply connectors rather than reusing old ones
- A pan and a drain that actually takes water somewhere safe
- An expansion tank where the house needs one, and a pressure check to know
- Sizing the new unit for the household you have now, not the one the plan assumed
The neighborhood pattern
In newer Valley subdivisions the heaters go in at the same time, run on the same water, and reach the end at about the same time. If a neighbor has just replaced theirs, yours is worth a look, especially if it has never been flushed.
From the job log
Work we’ve done
Answers
Is a builder grade heater bad?
It is not defective, it is basic. It met code and hit a price. The problem is usually that it was sized for a generic household and then left in hard water with no softener and no flushing.
Should I replace it before it fails?
That is a choice about risk. A tank inside the house or above a finished room is a much worse failure than one in a garage with a drain, and that changes how long people want to wait.
Can you put in a better unit in the same spot?
Usually yes. We check the gas or electric supply, the venting and the clearances at the house, because those are what decide whether a different unit fits the same space.
If you need this done
- Water heater installOld unit out, new one sized for your household, connected, tested and left to code. Gas or electric, tank or tankless.
- Valves, hose bibs and water hammerShutoffs that won't turn, washer valves, outdoor hose bibs, and arrestors for pipes that bang when a valve closes.
- Water softenersValley water is some of the hardest in the country. A softener removes the minerals that scale fixtures, spot glass and shorten a water heater's life.
- Where we workEvery town and ZIP across the Valley we cover.
In-home estimate
Rather have someone look at it? Tell us what's going on
We come out, look at the problem and explain what it needs before any work starts. For something urgent, calling is fastest.
Rather talk? Call or text (602) 833-4133.