Man, what a fantastic video. I bought the same water heater and this 63 year old guy installed his first water heater ! Thanks for helping give me the courage to step out of my comfort zone, and save money doing it. Awesome!
Just a few things to note. Opening hot water faucets in the house will help the heater to drain (when water supply has been turned off) as it will allow air to into the system to replace the water. If you have a combination hot/cold faucet in the house, if you don't have it all the way on hot, cold water can back feed through the hot water supply pipes (which is why the tank was filling with water before he turned the cold water supply back on to the tank). Also wrapping the ground wire clockwise around the green screw will further tighten the wire down, where as if you wrap the other way, the wire wants to come loose as you tighten the screw.
8:05 I thought I was the only one to take pictures to ensure the connections are correct! Love how your video is real......meaning you show the little things we all may encounter. Good Job!
Your video just saved me. I’m 21 years old and I inherited my grandfathers very very old home.. money is tight and I absolutely can’t afford to have someone replace my leaking electric water heater right now. I am pretty handy. I’ve replaced leaking piping and fixed sewer issues but this is something out of my expertise. Thank you! A million times thank you!
Thank you for posting this video. Im a widow with 3 children that lives in a rural area, no lowes or home depot for 200 miles. I've had no hot water since beginning of September. Was just able to purchase my new water heater last month. Although it has been sitting in my front room, i have 0 help to install it. My Late husband and i installed our last one 14 years ago. My old one burned up on me. Like almost started a fire, luckily the breaker kicked off. Im hopping my 19 year old, 17 year old and myself can do this. It's getting 🥶.
Hope it helps, let us know if they get it in for you or if you had to pay someone. I can't believe the prices some people put in the comments for what they've been quoted / charged.
This was an exact replacement for the old one that lasted about 10 years. th-cam.com/users/postUgkx7yWIKcrbA9KMHkGSfcgxW2lsjHT6B8Sh The top of my mitigation tube by my roofline was just a 90 elbow which allowed too much debris to fall down into the fan, eventually ruining it. Without this issue, I bet it would have kept running another 10 years. When I replaced this fan, I added an extra elbow joint so the top tube now it does a 180, which should solve that problem. The radon guys around here wanted to charge me a $300 diagnostic fee, then parts/labor (probably close to $600 total). I installed this all by myself in about an hour for the cost of the fan; it would probably be even easier/faster with two people. FYI the manufacturer's warranty greatly differs depending on whether you install it yourself (1 yr warranty) or have a licensed installer do it (10 yrs).
Thank you for this video! I’m a 50 y-o single female home owner and often feel I’m getting scammed (plumber quoted me $500+ to replace a check valve for my sump pump and I did it by myself with the $10 part). After seeing prices for a hot water install from $1200-$1800 this gave me the confidence to know I could do it myself!
It's hard to believe those prices, but many have commented that's what they were quoted too. For that much, it's definitely worth a try for any homeowner. Good luck and let me know how it goes.
Did this today except i went from a 50 gal to a 40 gal, we're only 2 people and i wanted to save $80. Video was great, only thing i did differently was cut the pipe too low on purpose, slide the old heater out, slide the new heater in, thread the new hoses in first then hold the hose next to the pipe to figure out where to cut the pipe again. Video gave me tons of confidence to do the project.
If any of you see my comment, here's some advice to speed up your installation. First, you need to either open a hot water valve to a sink inside your house (preferably the closest one to your water heater) after you open the drain valve on the water heater. If you don't, it will cause an air lock and your water will just drip slowly. You can also open the pressure safety valve on the water heater. Using the tube cutter keep tightening the knob as tightly as you can and keep turning it backwards so the round cutter wheel is moving away from you. It should not take more than 4-5 turns to cut through the tube.
I've was a service plumber for more than 10 years, u did a decent job, it's advised u use a little pipe dope on metal to metal connections and even teflon, both won't hurt, b4 u turn on the electric to it, always bleed the furthest hot side faucet, otherwise burning out an element is possible. The only other thing u might want to check, is the t-stat settings, they should be set at 120 degrees, some H2O heaters have one and some have 2.
I had to set ours at 90 degrees...Because my wife and daughter take longer in the shower if it lasts too long. That costs us a lot more water usage which means larger water bill.... So, yeah. 90 degrees it is. 👊👍
I bought this same water heater today. Gotta install it. Nice to see a fellow TH-camr getting his info from these types of videos. Suggestions. Hook up a drain pipe on the relief valve. You'll find them next to the water heaters with pressed on fittings at Home Depot ( I see them at :24 bottom right). Very important to put this on. If not, someone could walk by the water heater when/if it releases pressure it will blow hot water in your face if it stays like it is presently installed. The relief drain pipe is like a big long 90 and will point the water down and away from eye/face level. Also, to drain a tank. 1. Turn power off. 2. Turn off water valve. 3, Open water drain. 4. Flip Relief Valve up to open it. 5. Then turn on a sink or tub on the hot water side and leave it on. (this will give the tank some air to help drain). Once you get water out of the top of the heater, you can take supply lines off to allow more air to assist in draining. Great video and thanks!
I am so glad I clicked on your video. My water heater has been sitting in the living room for two months, and i was trying to figure out if I was going to tackle this myself. It is great to see someone in their house doing this. I think i have the confidence to try it. Thanks so much.
Awesome, glad it helped. I was in the same boat as you. Wanted to try but had to watch a few videos to get the confidence. One of the motivating factors of course was that a professional would charge $500-$1500.
I encourage everyone to save money and learn to work on your home you can learn alot of things on youtube . Guess what my project tomorrow is...yup replacing the water heater.
I'm doing this exact thing with my moms water heater. Got a 30 gallon 4500w Rheem as well. I wouldn't have guessed it came with instructions lol. But got all my cpvc. My primer and specific glue. Bought the water heater nipples and needed joints. Pan. Finished and set the water temp. Worked out better than I thought. I had to learn along the way. Make a couple extra trips to Home Depot but also well. Thanks for the video. And good job. Would of drained quicker if had opened the top piping to let air flow.
This video helped me install a new heater for my disabled mother. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your knowledge. It was pretty cut and dry, but I was a little weary on the electrical, so you helped confirm it. 👍
Man water heater was cheap back then. Current price of that same water heater is $519. Since your water heater is in the garage so close to the garage door, you could have just put it on a cart and bring it outside to drain instead of waiting 2 hours. It will be heavy, but doable. You should connect a pipe to T&P valve. I needs to be terminated 6" above the floor or drain with air gap.
One thing is, it is best to transport the hotwater heater vertically. I have read a few places that its okay to lay it down but if you damage the internal workings from bumps when layed down it will fail when you install it and you wont see the damage till you try to run it.
Great that yours lasted so many years. Mine is 11 years old and starting to seep at the top due to corrosion like yours. Mine was a 30g GE tank with a 6 year wtee.
Anytime you tighten down a screw with a wire under it, wrap the wire the same direction you turn the screw, this way the wire is pulled tighter around the screw as you tighten it down instead of getting pushed out.
Excellent job for your first try. This encourages many of us to just do it. My concern was really the pipes, but those pressures fittings look smooth. Thanks
I used those same supply hoses in my business and they started to corrode, one of them started leaking after maybe a year or so. Replaced them with a different sharkbite set that looks like the style you were holding @6:30 so we'll see lol...
I like that you also are just figuring this out becouse you ran into mistakes I would have made that they don't mention in the Profesional install videos.
Thanks for hearting the comment, it will make it this much easier to find your video. I just ran out and got a water heater! Time to make a mess, I'll let you know how it goes!
@@weekendhomeprojects I turned the water off and disconnected the old Whirlpool water heater. The older flex water pipes from the wall to the water heater were too long. The copper pipes from the wall had to be cut. I did not have the courage to cut the copper pipes out of fear I would cut too short. I put the new Rheem in the place of the old Whirlpool - which lasted fourteen years. I called a plumber recommended by family. He made the pipe connections, and now the new water heater works just fine. I suspect that I saved at least $200 by disconnecting, draining, and physically removing the old water heater myself. A friend helped me lift the new water heater into place. I must have drained forty gallons of water out of the old water heater. Whirlpool did me right! Good brand. Now, Rheem is at bat. 50 gallon. 12 year warranty. Show me what you got Rheem!
Tip....when you turn the water on, be sure everything is closed and then listen for any air leakage. If you don't hear anything then open a valve in order to allow the heater to get full.
Overall good job. Please get yourself a better pipe cutter if you do any other repairs in your Home! And you really needed to ream the ends of the cut pipes, before installing those Sharkbite fittings, which I personally would NOT have used. I installed a Skarkbite fitting, in an emergency situation, onto plastic piping, and failed to catch a small burr, and it leaked on me. Always make sure they are ‘burr free!’ This is MOST important on Copper. But kudos for doing it yourself. 👍👍👍😁✌🏻🇺🇸
Thats a good looking dolly. Can u tell us the part number spec of that one? Im going to replace my water heater thanks to your video. Will save ~$1000 over those rip off plumber prices
All the plumbers I called (I’m in PA) averaged $600 I wasn’t expecting that! I always try to do stuff on my own, I had a tire shop for years and did my own roof and plumbing stuff and anything else if I could avoid paying for it by doing it myself!
If you open the pressure release valve at the top, the water heater will drain much faster. Do this when filling the tank as well and watch for water to come out of the pressure release valve, then close it. Before turning on the power, purge the air from the water pipes.
For anyoe atempting this, a word of advice. As many stated regardimg opening a hotwater faucet to help drain. This is true, how ever, its best practice to open a bath tub hot water line if at all possible, and leave it open for when you fill it back up to purge the air. The reason for the tub faucet is the valve is larger, and it has no aerator like your sinks. If there's sediment in your lines, or you have old galvenized lines, any thing in this lines will cog your aerator and youll have to take them off and thoroughly clean them.
Just got a quote for gas watwer heater 40 gallon and the lowest quote was $2,065 to replace it. I'm about to doit my self and save some money. Thanks for the video 👍
Wow, that’s expensive. I’m glad mine was electric. Gas throws in another element to worry about as a DIY. But it may be just as simple. Good luck, let me know how it goes.
@@weekendhomeprojects thanks man. About to run to home Depot and grab everything I need it shouldn't run over $550-600 with all that I need to get this job done.
@@rustynail6819 yep I spend $627 on everything Reem performance 40 gal, lower pam, drain pipe to the sump just in case, shark bite 3/4 pipe kit, pipe compound, 6 feet garden hose to drain the old tank., Soap water bottle $1 dollar, man this was very simple installation. 💪👍
the white wire should be wrapped with black or red tape to show it’s a power wire and not a common. also twist the wires together with line plyers before using connectors.
Great advice. Bout a pair of linesman plyers recently just for that, but at the time of this video I didn't have a few tools I should of had. Still got hot water 4 years later tho :)
Hey Dude you already have a stub of copper tubing below the ball valve, so move the new heater out of position and slide the new fitting on your new flex hose onto that stub until it bottoms out, then take a magic marker and draw a line at the edge of that new fitting on the copper tube, then pull the fitting off and measure the distance from the end of the tube to that magic mark. That will tell you how much of the tube will be used to make your calculation on where to cut the existing tube above the old valve and on the other line. Don't forget to account for the amount of the flex line will be shortened in height by the amount that the threads will lower the new line when it is tightened down. If you are too long you can flex the line to make it work (which is something you should intentionally do so you form a parabolic curve in that line that will allow it to contract by straightening out the curve slightly and directing it [outward] as it expands, and foam insulation will help keep the temperature of those pipes stable and minimize expansion/contraction ). If you're too short you will have to shim up the heater at its feet. You don't want to have to do that, accuracy is the key. The flex lines also help with expansion, the rigid mount of the old lines was not a good idea because copper expands and contracts so those rigid lines lengthen and shorten with the variation of temperature (as in that garage being colder in the Winter and then you have demand for hot water and the tube expands, lengthens and forces down on the top of the heater and may be a reason for the original heaters leakage failure.)
@@ian863 of course *SharkBite Connectors are Removable* (without damaging them, when using the appropriate U Ring (de?)Compression 'Release Teeth' Tool)... (as well as the 'copy' connectors...)
My electric water heater was leaking from the bottom. The quote was 1770 for installation (New Hampshire) and a State heater. I got the same Rheem 50 gallon from Home Depot (519 now) and followed your directions. Shark bite fittings, what a genius invention. I did wonder why you did not put a tube coming out of the pressure release valve. Thanks!
Awesome! Glad it helped. I did end up installing the pressure relieve value drain a few weeks later in this video - th-cam.com/video/LLECn2n9u9Q/w-d-xo.html
great video! if you leave the electrical cover plate that the conduit lock nuts to disconnected from the heater while you wire it helps make folding the wires in and shaping the ground connection through the second plate cover a littler easier and cleaner
When you started taking showers again did you have slightly brown/orange colored water for a little bit when using the hot water. Just exchanged my HWH and the water is hot but now has a very slightly brown/orange color. Have only flushed it in the tub once or twice.
This just happened to me this morning. Kind of ruin my day off but got lucky. The heater for my mobile home was the last available at my local Lowe's. Further my brother has knowledge installing heaters. He even brought in all the extras to do the job. By the end of the end the problem was fixed
Thanks for the video I'm in the exact stages you were in three months before making this video which is just found it leaking from the same identical spot and seeing if it's possible to repair or having to replace the entire water heater and if I'm calling a plumber or doing it myself but watching this video I'm definitely leaning towards trying it myself
You have to turn the knob on the tube cutter often when cutting the pipe to get a clean cut. Rotate & then turn the knob. Also you didn't debur your fittings and mark the depth of your sharkbite fittings with a marker.
Awesome. Did you debur the copper pipe before inserting into the fitting? Also, usually a good idea to put these on a platform too. Helps with height when needed, and draining if needed
when draining, pop the relief valve on the top. or you're just creating suction inside the tank. but great video! I'm looking to swap mine this weekend.
Yeah, took me awhile to figure that out. I think when I opened the upstairs valve (via the sink) it did the same thing. I thought it was build up inside even after so I cut it open in another video to take a gander.
Water heater boxes have a cut line marked around their bottoms. Use a utility knife, and cut along the lines on all 4 sides of the box. Then just lift the box up and off of the water heater. No time wasted tearing the box apart.
Roll Tide or is that the Atlanta A you cover the tag with? In that case Go Braves! I’m from North Alabama and I still confuse the two A’s. Either way I’m a fan of both. Round here it’s all A lettering from Alabama to Auburn and Atlanta.
Shit... we got a quote for a water heater here in Orlando Florida from three different plumbers the cheapest was $2,100... I took my happy ass straight to The Big Box store and saved about $1,500. Thanks for this video and it was a nice Refresher it's been years since I've touched the water heater.
Some areas require it, yes. So probably not a bad idea even if your area doesn't. However, I was just replacing exactly what I had, mainly to see if I could even do it. Wasn't even sure "expansion tanks" were a thing until the comments started rolling in. I'll probably add one soon.
this is a old video but it seems you never transferred the pressure relief pipe from the old heater to the new heater ... you need to do that so it doesn't shoot hot water out of the top of the tank... you can get a plastic one with a bend in it at home depot or lowes for $15 just screw it in to your pressure relief valve. ..... also for anyone else .. make sure you open a few faucets when draining and filling the tank the first time.. don't turn the electric on until water is coming out your faucets for a few minutes or you can burn out the heating elements... faucets need to be open when refilling the tank
@@mendingo99 yeah turn your tub to hot and let water come out of it and then turn all your sinks to hot and let water come out of them.. and then you know the tank is completely filled with water and its safe to turn the power on to the heater.. if not the heating elements will burn out right away.
That's because when you opened the valve at the water heater bottom, there is no venting to let it drain. When you opened faucets upstairs, you gave a vent and at that point it wil drain. It's like holding your thumb on the end of a straw with soda in it. The soda doesn't drop til you take your thumb off.
(16:05) Just learned that not only do you not need to use thread seal tape, but actually advised NOT to use it on compression fittings as the threads don’t hold the water back, but the compression fitting itself. Seems like common sense now that I read the explanation for it, but had no idea before reading up on what you said. Funny how that works lol. I’m sitting here sayin “look at this dude here smh sayin you don’t need thread tape on a plumbing connection smh what an idiot” lol so I go and do some research and 🤦♂️ I’M the idiot!! Lol. I try to learn something new everyday and it’s 0454 hours so I’m good for the day I can go back to sleep! Lol great video man, learned me somethin! I sub’d as well as I bought my first home here a couple years ago and any tips/tricks on repairs is ALWAYS a good thing! Take care brotha!
Haha, yeah I had the same experience after I looked into it. “You don’t need plumbers tape?”. Thanks for watching and good luck on any future DIYs you do on your new house.
Nice! I'm putting the same one in today. Thanks for demystifying what to expect. It's always helpful to see what's going on and then picture your situation. 👍
Nice job! George Brazil wanted $1500 including the heater, crazy! You just helped me! I have a question..I have a line coming out the center, copper. I am assuming overflow? Do I not reattach that?
And I had another commenter mention his area doesn’t install for less than $1,500. That’s $1000 profit at least. I’d do that every day of the week if I could, but scares me as a home owner. It’s important to look into it and see if you can make it a weekend project (see what I did there).
@@weekendhomeprojects still looking. Any recommendations would be great! I need a tall 50 gallon electric. 6 year warranty models are showing in the $500 range and 9+ year warranty models are almost double that.
I want the plumbers you're using--the ones I called want $275/hr for hourly, or flat fee from $900 to $1250 just to install new water heater I already bought.
Once you hook the hose up to the tank to drain it, water won’t pour out due to no air flow. When you turn the faucet on it allows air to enter the tank and the water will flow out. Once the tank is empty you can turn the faucet back to the off position.
@@weekendhomeprojects Oh ok that fully explains it. That was the only part I was just a little stuck on. I have a slow rusty leaker at home (2004 Richmond) and got the new one today. Thanks for your quick reply and your video. Very informative and I have full confidence I can do this now.
This is a 240 application. A white wire indicates common/neutral. Should be clearly marked RED or BLACK. Other than that and the reversed wire wrap, I thank you for the video and your efforts.
Man, what a fantastic video. I bought the same water heater and this 63 year old guy installed his first water heater ! Thanks for helping give me the courage to step out of my comfort zone, and save money doing it. Awesome!
Great to hear! Glad the video helped.
Couldn't agree more
Jesus is God
@@raptureready9502 well that’s confusing. This should clear it up,
_corn is plant_
@@sethie_shots wrong
This is amazing. Single mom here and going to attempt with my 16 year olds help.
Good luck. You can do it :)
Just a few things to note. Opening hot water faucets in the house will help the heater to drain (when water supply has been turned off) as it will allow air to into the system to replace the water. If you have a combination hot/cold faucet in the house, if you don't have it all the way on hot, cold water can back feed through the hot water supply pipes (which is why the tank was filling with water before he turned the cold water supply back on to the tank). Also wrapping the ground wire clockwise around the green screw will further tighten the wire down, where as if you wrap the other way, the wire wants to come loose as you tighten the screw.
Awesome, all great pieces of advice. I'm actually making a followup video soon incorporating all the great comments.
8:05 I thought I was the only one to take pictures to ensure the connections are correct! Love how your video is real......meaning you show the little things we all may encounter. Good Job!
Thank you for the comment.
Your video just saved me. I’m 21 years old and I inherited my grandfathers very very old home.. money is tight and I absolutely can’t afford to have someone replace my leaking electric water heater right now. I am pretty handy. I’ve replaced leaking piping and fixed sewer issues but this is something out of my expertise. Thank you! A million times thank you!
Awesome, glad it helped.
Thank you for posting this video. Im a widow with 3 children that lives in a rural area, no lowes or home depot for 200 miles. I've had no hot water since beginning of September. Was just able to purchase my new water heater last month. Although it has been sitting in my front room, i have 0 help to install it. My Late husband and i installed our last one 14 years ago. My old one burned up on me. Like almost started a fire, luckily the breaker kicked off. Im hopping my 19 year old, 17 year old and myself can do this. It's getting 🥶.
Hope it helps, let us know if they get it in for you or if you had to pay someone. I can't believe the prices some people put in the comments for what they've been quoted / charged.
Today is Feb 14 and you just saved me $600 bucks. That's how much they wanted to charge just to replace my water heater. I'm doing it myself now.
That's great! Some people save $1,000 to $1,500 by replacing their own. Def. worth the try.
This was an exact replacement for the old one that lasted about 10 years. th-cam.com/users/postUgkx7yWIKcrbA9KMHkGSfcgxW2lsjHT6B8Sh The top of my mitigation tube by my roofline was just a 90 elbow which allowed too much debris to fall down into the fan, eventually ruining it. Without this issue, I bet it would have kept running another 10 years. When I replaced this fan, I added an extra elbow joint so the top tube now it does a 180, which should solve that problem. The radon guys around here wanted to charge me a $300 diagnostic fee, then parts/labor (probably close to $600 total). I installed this all by myself in about an hour for the cost of the fan; it would probably be even easier/faster with two people. FYI the manufacturer's warranty greatly differs depending on whether you install it yourself (1 yr warranty) or have a licensed installer do it (10 yrs).
Thank you for this video! I’m a 50 y-o single female home owner and often feel I’m getting scammed (plumber quoted me $500+ to replace a check valve for my sump pump and I did it by myself with the $10 part). After seeing prices for a hot water install from $1200-$1800 this gave me the confidence to know I could do it myself!
It's hard to believe those prices, but many have commented that's what they were quoted too. For that much, it's definitely worth a try for any homeowner. Good luck and let me know how it goes.
Did this today except i went from a 50 gal to a 40 gal, we're only 2 people and i wanted to save $80. Video was great, only thing i did differently was cut the pipe too low on purpose, slide the old heater out, slide the new heater in, thread the new hoses in first then hold the hose next to the pipe to figure out where to cut the pipe again.
Video gave me tons of confidence to do the project.
Awesome! Glad to hear it helped.
If any of you see my comment, here's some advice to speed up your installation. First, you need to either open a hot water valve to a sink inside your house (preferably the closest one to your water heater) after you open the drain valve on the water heater. If you don't, it will cause an air lock and your water will just drip slowly. You can also open the pressure safety valve on the water heater. Using the tube cutter keep tightening the knob as tightly as you can and keep turning it backwards so the round cutter wheel is moving away from you. It should not take more than 4-5 turns to cut through the tube.
Going to lowes this a.m. feeling confident after this video brother. Thanks!
@@christopherh730 Did you end up getting it changed out? Just saw you comment as I was preparing for a followup video.
Did everything turn out ok? I'm about to do this myself as well.@@weekendhomeprojects
@@theydontknowmeson007 Yes. A few years later and still getting hot water. All is well.
Sounds like you should have nearest hot water source open BEFORE opening the drain valve?
I'm 53 and changed my first water heater after watching your video. Thanks dude
Awesome!! Glad it helped.
I've was a service plumber for more than 10 years, u did a decent job, it's advised u use a little pipe dope on metal to metal connections and even teflon, both won't hurt, b4 u turn on the electric to it, always bleed the furthest hot side faucet, otherwise burning out an element is possible. The only other thing u might want to check, is the t-stat settings, they should be set at 120 degrees, some H2O heaters have one and some have 2.
Great advice, thank you sir.
Do you bleed the faucet while the tank is filling up with water or after? Might be a stupid question lol.
I had to set ours at 90 degrees...Because my wife and daughter take longer in the shower if it lasts too long. That costs us a lot more water usage which means larger water bill.... So, yeah. 90 degrees it is. 👊👍
@@zackd7597 Did you ever get an answer? Curious also. Seems having the tank full would be the only thing preventing the element from burning out.
@@zackd7597 Always kelpt mine open it helps you know when the tank is full and the air is out instead of having to guess
I bought this same water heater today. Gotta install it. Nice to see a fellow TH-camr getting his info from these types of videos.
Suggestions. Hook up a drain pipe on the relief valve. You'll find them next to the water heaters with pressed on fittings at Home Depot ( I see them at :24 bottom right). Very important to put this on. If not, someone could walk by the water heater when/if it releases pressure it will blow hot water in your face if it stays like it is presently installed. The relief drain pipe is like a big long 90 and will point the water down and away from eye/face level.
Also, to drain a tank. 1. Turn power off. 2. Turn off water valve. 3, Open water drain. 4. Flip Relief Valve up to open it. 5. Then turn on a sink or tub on the hot water side and leave it on. (this will give the tank some air to help drain). Once you get water out of the top of the heater, you can take supply lines off to allow more air to assist in draining. Great video and thanks!
Thanks for the input. I hope your install went well. I did end up getting a relief valve pipe - th-cam.com/video/LLECn2n9u9Q/w-d-xo.html
I am so glad I clicked on your video. My water heater has been sitting in the living room for two months, and i was trying to figure out if I was going to tackle this myself. It is great to see someone in their house doing this. I think i have the confidence to try it. Thanks so much.
Awesome, glad it helped. I was in the same boat as you. Wanted to try but had to watch a few videos to get the confidence. One of the motivating factors of course was that a professional would charge $500-$1500.
How did it go?
Were you able to change them out fairly easily? I need to replace mine but am a little comprehensive about doing it myself.
Did you get it changed out 2 years ago?
@@lindas7146 Did you end up trying yourself?
I encourage everyone to save money and learn to work on your home you can learn alot of things on youtube . Guess what my project tomorrow is...yup replacing the water heater.
@@mike605 Good luck!
I'm doing this exact thing with my moms water heater. Got a 30 gallon 4500w Rheem as well. I wouldn't have guessed it came with instructions lol. But got all my cpvc. My primer and specific glue. Bought the water heater nipples and needed joints. Pan. Finished and set the water temp. Worked out better than I thought. I had to learn along the way. Make a couple extra trips to Home Depot but also well. Thanks for the video. And good job. Would of drained quicker if had opened the top piping to let air flow.
Just installed a new water heater in the house and went off your video and then the comments. Worked like a charm! Much Appreciated!
Awesome! Glad it helped. And the comments on this video are amazing. So many good suggestions.
This video helped me install a new heater for my disabled mother. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your knowledge. It was pretty cut and dry, but I was a little weary on the electrical, so you helped confirm it. 👍
Awesome, glad it helped.
Great video...loved how you checked and rechecked the electrical ...you can never be to safe.
Thank you.
Man water heater was cheap back then. Current price of that same water heater is $519. Since your water heater is in the garage so close to the garage door, you could have just put it on a cart and bring it outside to drain instead of waiting 2 hours. It will be heavy, but doable. You should connect a pipe to T&P valve. I needs to be terminated 6" above the floor or drain with air gap.
One thing is, it is best to transport the hotwater heater vertically. I have read a few places that its okay to lay it down but if you damage the internal workings from bumps when layed down it will fail when you install it and you wont see the damage till you try to run it.
Great that yours lasted so many years. Mine is 11 years old and starting to seep at the top due to corrosion like yours. Mine was a 30g GE tank with a 6 year wtee.
Have you got a new one yet? Going to put it in yourself?
Anytime you tighten down a screw with a wire under it, wrap the wire the same direction you turn the screw, this way the wire is pulled tighter around the screw as you tighten it down instead of getting pushed out.
Thank you for the video, I followed all your steps, same unit. Worked like a charm! This was my 2024 easter project 🐣.
Awesome!! Glad it helped.
Excellent job for your first try. This encourages many of us to just do it. My concern was really the pipes, but those pressures fittings look smooth. Thanks
Thank ya sir. 3 years and still pumping out the hottest of water.
You saved me $325...many thanks again.
The only thing i did different was I used SST Braided hoses instead.
So far so good.👍
Awesome!! Glad it helped.
It's nice when very easy! nothing behind walls , less pipe 2 work with ,no old lousy gate valves which (both) can't stop leaking !!
And not a apartment building either!!!!!!!
I searched for my water heater and couldn't find something similar but now I know what to do. Thanks for the video.
Thanks man, you motivated me to do the same and save; the local plumber referred by Home Depot quoted me $ 425 for installation ....
I just got quoted $900 for installation of a 30 gallon electric on the ground floor. I think maybe I need a second quote...
Good video man, always remember to twist your ground wire clockwise around the screw not counterclockwise.
God bless you sir you saved your family a plumping bill.
Bless your wife she has a smart husband.
I used those same supply hoses in my business and they started to corrode, one of them started leaking after maybe a year or so. Replaced them with a different sharkbite set that looks like the style you were holding @6:30 so we'll see lol...
I love this. I feel like I'm watching myself figure another project out! I needed a video to show me what to do with the copper pipes. Thanks, man! 🙌
I like that you also are just figuring this out becouse you ran into mistakes I would have made that they don't mention in the Profesional install videos.
Thanks for hearting the comment, it will make it this much easier to find your video. I just ran out and got a water heater! Time to make a mess, I'll let you know how it goes!
Thanks for your commentary and video! I have the exact old model and the exact new model. I want and need to do this myself. Thanks!
Both the exact same? That's crazy. It's almost like this video was made specifically for you :) Hope it helps.
@@weekendhomeprojects I turned the water off and disconnected the old Whirlpool water heater. The older flex water pipes from the wall to the water heater were too long. The copper pipes from the wall had to be cut. I did not have the courage to cut the copper pipes out of fear I would cut too short. I put the new Rheem in the place of the old Whirlpool - which lasted fourteen years. I called a plumber recommended by family. He made the pipe connections, and now the new water heater works just fine. I suspect that I saved at least $200 by disconnecting, draining, and physically removing the old water heater myself. A friend helped me lift the new water heater into place. I must have drained forty gallons of water out of the old water heater. Whirlpool did me right! Good brand. Now, Rheem is at bat. 50 gallon. 12 year warranty. Show me what you got Rheem!
Tip....when you turn the water on, be sure everything is closed and then listen for any air leakage. If you don't hear anything then open a valve in order to allow the heater to get full.
Gooda advice.
Great video, just had to replace our water heater and got one from home Depot as well, a smaller rheem one
This is one of the BEST DIYer install on a water heater! You have helped me to decide to do job myself. THANKS, and excellent job for sure!
Thank you! And good luck on your install.
Overall good job. Please get yourself a better pipe cutter if you do any other repairs in your Home! And you really needed to ream the ends of the cut pipes, before installing those Sharkbite fittings, which I personally would NOT have used. I installed a Skarkbite fitting, in an emergency situation, onto plastic piping, and failed to catch a small burr, and it leaked on me. Always make sure they are ‘burr free!’ This is MOST important on Copper. But kudos for doing it yourself. 👍👍👍😁✌🏻🇺🇸
Sharkbites are great as long as you clean up the cut ends properly. I have sharkbites on for years with no problems.
Thats a good looking dolly. Can u tell us the part number spec of that one? Im going to replace my water heater thanks to your video. Will save ~$1000 over those rip off plumber prices
Thanks sooo much! I just avoided paying a plumber $619! Got mine set up in two days. This video was done perfectly
Awesome, glad it helped! Thanks for sharing the price you were quoted. I always find that interesting.
All the plumbers I called (I’m in PA) averaged $600 I wasn’t expecting that! I always try to do stuff on my own, I had a tire shop for years and did my own roof and plumbing stuff and anything else if I could avoid paying for it by doing it myself!
:0 $619. Mine quoted $1,000 even if I paid for water heater myself for them to install.
@@ch1ckencrafts294 hope you did it in ur own like me and him lol
If you open the pressure release valve at the top, the water heater will drain much faster. Do this when filling the tank as well and watch for water to come out of the pressure release valve, then close it. Before turning on the power, purge the air from the water pipes.
Thank you for the suggestions. On year 3 on this one and everything is working well.
For anyoe atempting this, a word of advice. As many stated regardimg opening a hotwater faucet to help drain. This is true, how ever, its best practice to open a bath tub hot water line if at all possible, and leave it open for when you fill it back up to purge the air. The reason for the tub faucet is the valve is larger, and it has no aerator like your sinks. If there's sediment in your lines, or you have old galvenized lines, any thing in this lines will cog your aerator and youll have to take them off and thoroughly clean them.
Great advice, thank you.
Thank you I just installed my new heater and used your video.
Great to hear. Glad it helped.
Just got a quote for gas watwer heater 40 gallon and the lowest quote was $2,065 to replace it. I'm about to doit my self and save some money. Thanks for the video 👍
Wow, that’s expensive. I’m glad mine was electric. Gas throws in another element to worry about as a DIY. But it may be just as simple. Good luck, let me know how it goes.
@@weekendhomeprojects thanks man. About to run to home Depot and grab everything I need it shouldn't run over $550-600 with all that I need to get this job done.
DYI for everything about $600. Pro plumber average is around $1500 total. $2,065 is a total rip-off.
@@rustynail6819 yep I spend $627 on everything Reem performance 40 gal, lower pam, drain pipe to the sump just in case, shark bite 3/4 pipe kit, pipe compound, 6 feet garden hose to drain the old tank., Soap water bottle $1 dollar, man this was very simple installation. 💪👍
@@weekendhomeprojects it went super smooth thanks for the help and this video 👍
Thank you for the video, it was pretty straightforward and very helpful. Great job.
very honest and shows typical aspects needed to solve and install, tanks for sharing
Excellent vid...thanks! Getting ready to do the exact same thing.....replacing old leaking hot water heater w new HD Rheem.
Thanks :)
the white wire should be wrapped with black or red tape to show it’s a power wire and not a common. also twist the wires together with line plyers before using connectors.
OMG, Finally, somebody noticed ! Thank you.
Great advice. Bout a pair of linesman plyers recently just for that, but at the time of this video I didn't have a few tools I should of had. Still got hot water 4 years later tho :)
Hey Dude you already have a stub of copper tubing below the ball valve, so move the new heater out of position and slide the new fitting on your new flex hose onto that stub until it bottoms out, then take a magic marker and draw a line at the edge of that new fitting on the copper tube, then pull the fitting off and measure the distance from the end of the tube to that magic mark. That will tell you how much of the tube will be used to make your calculation on where to cut the existing tube above the old valve and on the other line. Don't forget to account for the amount of the flex line will be shortened in height by the amount that the threads will lower the new line when it is tightened down. If you are too long you can flex the line to make it work (which is something you should intentionally do so you form a parabolic curve in that line that will allow it to contract by straightening out the curve slightly and directing it [outward] as it expands, and foam insulation will help keep the temperature of those pipes stable and minimize expansion/contraction ). If you're too short you will have to shim up the heater at its feet. You don't want to have to do that, accuracy is the key. The flex lines also help with expansion, the rigid mount of the old lines was not a good idea because copper expands and contracts so those rigid lines lengthen and shorten with the variation of temperature (as in that garage being colder in the Winter and then you have demand for hot water and the tube expands, lengthens and forces down on the top of the heater and may be a reason for the original heaters leakage failure.)
Idk if you can
Pull shark bites off after Once on
@@ian863 of course
*SharkBite Connectors are Removable* (without damaging them, when using the appropriate U Ring (de?)Compression 'Release Teeth' Tool)... (as well as the 'copy' connectors...)
My electric water heater was leaking from the bottom. The quote was 1770 for installation (New Hampshire) and a State heater. I got the same Rheem 50 gallon from Home Depot (519 now) and followed your directions. Shark bite fittings, what a genius invention. I did wonder why you did not put a tube coming out of the pressure release valve. Thanks!
Awesome! Glad it helped. I did end up installing the pressure relieve value drain a few weeks later in this video - th-cam.com/video/LLECn2n9u9Q/w-d-xo.html
This is the absolute best hot water heater change out video on TH-cam. Thank you for making and go Braves.
Thank you, much appreciated. Bravos back to back here we come :)
great video! if you leave the electrical cover plate that the conduit lock nuts to disconnected from the heater while you wire it helps make folding the wires in and shaping the ground connection through the second plate cover a littler easier and cleaner
Thanks :). Yeah I kept fighting that ground wire. That was probably the hardest part, haha.
Superbly done video and paced just right! Thanks.
Thanks for the comment. Was the volume ok? Someone just commented the volume was low. I think they just had an issue with their speakers.
thanks for the great video, my 14 year old water heater just started leaking and I'm gonna try it myself. You answered all the right questions!!!
Thanks for the video. Bought this same water heater 2 days ago (June ‘22) $539 @ Home Depot up from $379 in 2020. 😒
Wow..up 42% in 2 years. Crazy. You get it installed yet?
@@weekendhomeprojects doing it over the weekend
Thank you for making this video. I’m doing this later today and it’s given me a lot more confidence in doing so.
what kind of cercuit tester is he using
Did you end up doing it yourself?
@@henriettedavid8208 - I bought this set awhile back - amzn.to/3ODlcLk
When you started taking showers again did you have slightly brown/orange colored water for a little bit when using the hot water. Just exchanged my HWH and the water is hot but now has a very slightly brown/orange color. Have only flushed it in the tub once or twice.
Mine didn't, but I've watched others videos were this does happen. Just keep flushing until it's clear again.
This just happened to me this morning. Kind of ruin my day off but got lucky. The heater for my mobile home was the last available at my local Lowe's. Further my brother has knowledge installing heaters. He even brought in all the extras to do the job. By the end of the end the problem was fixed
Thank you not a lot of fluff straight to the point.looks like I can do it. Very informative.
Good luck! Let me know how it goes.
You done good - Great clip
Thanks for sharing
Liked & Shared
Thanks for the video I'm in the exact stages you were in three months before making this video which is just found it leaking from the same identical spot and seeing if it's possible to repair or having to replace the entire water heater and if I'm calling a plumber or doing it myself but watching this video I'm definitely leaning towards trying it myself
Did you end up changing it out yourself?
You have to turn the knob on the tube cutter often when cutting the pipe to get a clean cut. Rotate & then turn the knob. Also you didn't debur your fittings and mark the depth of your sharkbite fittings with a marker.
Yeah, I didn’t want to damage the tool or bevel the pipe so I took it. I’ve and slow. But others have pointed that out as well.
Awesome. Did you debur the copper pipe before inserting into the fitting? Also, usually a good idea to put these on a platform too. Helps with height when needed, and draining if needed
@@_mylastname I didn’t like I should have…which is probably why the first shark bite hose leaked. 2nd one went on well and no leaks in 4 years.
when draining, pop the relief valve on the top. or you're just creating suction inside the tank. but great video! I'm looking to swap mine this weekend.
Yeah, took me awhile to figure that out. I think when I opened the upstairs valve (via the sink) it did the same thing. I thought it was build up inside even after so I cut it open in another video to take a gander.
@@weekendhomeprojects I changed mine on Thursday. And it went SUPER smooth. Thanks to watching your video man. 🤙🏼🤙🏼
Water heater boxes have a cut line marked around their bottoms. Use a utility knife, and cut along the lines on all 4 sides of the box. Then just lift the box up and off of the water heater. No time wasted tearing the box apart.
Best diy vid on hwh. Should get anyone through the process. Unless the tank is lime locked lol
Thanks. You getting ready to switch one out?
@@weekendhomeprojects yep. My current HWH is air locked and lime locked. Gonna be fun
@@JayN4GO How'd it go?
Roll Tide or is that the Atlanta A you cover the tag with? In that case Go Braves! I’m from North Alabama and I still confuse the two A’s. Either way I’m a fan of both. Round here it’s all A lettering from Alabama to Auburn and Atlanta.
It was the Braves "A". But yea, they all look about the same, haha.
Greatest video man, you just saved me $1,000
Awesome! Glad it helped.
The white is actually a black and hooks to red?
How do you know if you need an expansion tank?
Shit... we got a quote for a water heater here in Orlando Florida from three different plumbers the cheapest was $2,100... I took my happy ass straight to The Big Box store and saved about $1,500. Thanks for this video and it was a nice Refresher it's been years since I've touched the water heater.
Yeah, I've got a few comments on this video stating they got quotes in the range of $1,500 to $2,500. I got in the wrong business apparently, haha.
Are you not tightening anything at the pipe to hose transition. You just push it in. Thats it?
@@pascalwagner6896 it’s sharkbites, so you just push them in.
Do you not need an expansion tank? I need to replace mine, but everyone is telling me I need an expansion tank (I am in Florida).
Some areas require it, yes. So probably not a bad idea even if your area doesn't. However, I was just replacing exactly what I had, mainly to see if I could even do it. Wasn't even sure "expansion tanks" were a thing until the comments started rolling in. I'll probably add one soon.
You should have put a drip pan underneath, and set a leak detection in the drip tray. You might also want to check into thermal expansion unit.
Yes, wish I'd put a pan down now. But I was just changing it out just like it was since it was my first time. 5 years later and it's still doing good.
this is a old video but it seems you never transferred the pressure relief pipe from the old heater to the new heater ... you need to do that so it doesn't shoot hot water out of the top of the tank... you can get a plastic one with a bend in it at home depot or lowes for $15 just screw it in to your pressure relief valve. ..... also for anyone else .. make sure you open a few faucets when draining and filling the tank the first time.. don't turn the electric on until water is coming out your faucets for a few minutes or you can burn out the heating elements... faucets need to be open when refilling the tank
A few weeks after this video I did get one of those cheap plastic ones.
@@weekendhomeprojects cool
Faucets should be open for hot water or cold or....?
@@mendingo99 yeah turn your tub to hot and let water come out of it and then turn all your sinks to hot and let water come out of them.. and then you know the tank is completely filled with water and its safe to turn the power on to the heater.. if not the heating elements will burn out right away.
Local Mobile resident here. I saw the truck license plate coverup. Roll Tide! :)
Haha.
That's because when you opened the valve at the water heater bottom, there is no venting to let it drain. When you opened faucets upstairs, you gave a vent and at that point it wil drain. It's like holding your thumb on the end of a straw with soda in it. The soda doesn't drop til you take your thumb off.
That's a great analogy, thanks. I didn't know what was going on at first.
Just installed a new water heater lst night thanks to you!!!!!
Awesome!! Glad it helped.
The most important step, the T&P valve what did you do with it?
Put it on in another video.
(16:05) Just learned that not only do you not need to use thread seal tape, but actually advised NOT to use it on compression fittings as the threads don’t hold the water back, but the compression fitting itself. Seems like common sense now that I read the explanation for it, but had no idea before reading up on what you said. Funny how that works lol. I’m sitting here sayin “look at this dude here smh sayin you don’t need thread tape on a plumbing connection smh what an idiot” lol so I go and do some research and 🤦♂️ I’M the idiot!! Lol. I try to learn something new everyday and it’s 0454 hours so I’m good for the day I can go back to sleep! Lol great video man, learned me somethin! I sub’d as well as I bought my first home here a couple years ago and any tips/tricks on repairs is ALWAYS a good thing! Take care brotha!
Haha, yeah I had the same experience after I looked into it. “You don’t need plumbers tape?”. Thanks for watching and good luck on any future DIYs you do on your new house.
I am planning on installing an electric heater on my garage and your video gave me the confidence to GO-AHEAD with the install. Nice work! thanks
Awesome! Hope all goes well.
Great video! I'm about to install the 40 gallon version and this helps out as I'm not much of a handyman.
Great video man! only call out is clean up that ground wire connection. LOL
Haha, I agree...I just couldn't get it twisted around so it looked good. I messed with it a good half hour before settling on what the video showed.
what a great video, thank you. Too bad I have a small space and can't use those hoses. I'll need A plumber to weld the connections.
Nice! I'm putting the same one in today. Thanks for demystifying what to expect. It's always helpful to see what's going on and then picture your situation. 👍
Good luck! Let me know how it goes.
great information and you give me confidence to do my own water heater.
Nice job! George Brazil wanted $1500 including the heater, crazy! You just helped me! I have a question..I have a line coming out the center, copper. I am assuming overflow? Do I not reattach that?
Is yours gas? May be the flue vent pipe. Or if it’s electric the only other piping I can think of is for an expansion tank.
And I had another commenter mention his area doesn’t install for less than $1,500. That’s $1000 profit at least. I’d do that every day of the week if I could, but scares me as a home owner. It’s important to look into it and see if you can make it a weekend project (see what I did there).
@@weekendhomeprojects its electric, thanks so much for responding! Will the new one have? You didn't have one right, I will subscribe to you for sure!
It’s the relief valve run a pipe off it and down
Thanks for the video! I appreciate your video and plumbing skills/advice. I have a feeling this project is in my near future. Thumbs up!
Glad it helped.
Best video so far! Thank you!
Thanks, hope it helps. You getting ready to replace one?
Excellent video thanks
Thank you.
Plumber quoted $2k for heater replacement, I spent $591 for heater and hoses... thanks for the vid my guy.
Difficulty: 3/10
Awesome!
Replacing mine today thank to your video!
Awesome! What water heater you installing? If you don’t mind sharing, what was the price?
@@weekendhomeprojects still looking. Any recommendations would be great! I need a tall 50 gallon electric. 6 year warranty models are showing in the $500 range and 9+ year warranty models are almost double that.
I want the plumbers you're using--the ones I called want $275/hr for hourly, or flat fee from $900 to $1250 just to install new water heater I already bought.
I am just unclear how long you leave the faucet to the sink on and at what point do you start turning the kitchen faucet on. Great video.
Once you hook the hose up to the tank to drain it, water won’t pour out due to no air flow. When you turn the faucet on it allows air to enter the tank and the water will flow out. Once the tank is empty you can turn the faucet back to the off position.
@@weekendhomeprojects Oh ok that fully explains it. That was the only part I was just a little stuck on. I have a slow rusty leaker at home (2004 Richmond) and got the new one today. Thanks for your quick reply and your video. Very informative and I have full confidence I can do this now.
Great job!! Man, thank you!!!
@@alejandrosanchez-zk8ze thanks :)
Does it really matter which wire goes where? Just for element
I have to do the same thing got the same water heater but my case older house and smaller copper lines
This is a 240 application. A white wire indicates common/neutral. Should be clearly marked RED or BLACK. Other than that and the reversed wire wrap, I thank you for the video and your efforts.
Did I wire it wrong or it just had the wrong color?
On the two hoses you put on top of the water heater, it looks like you just slipped them over the copper pipe at the top. Is that right?
Yes. They’re called shark bites.