PSA: Our water heater died 3 days after we closed

Moved into our first house in Portland last month and the water heater went out on day 3. No rust, no noise, just stopped working. Had to pay a plumber $1,200 to replace it because the old one was from 2007. Anyone else get hit with a surprise appliance failure right after buying?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_hayden1d ago

Just a heads up on the plumber price, $1,200 sounds a bit steep for a basic water heater swap unless they had to do some extra work rerouting things. The unit itself usually runs $400-$700 for a standard 40 or 50 gallon tank, so that leaves a lot for labor and parts. Might be worth checking if your home warranty covers stuff like this, some sellers throw one in for the first year. Also, 2007 isn't that crazy old for a water heater, they typically last 8-12 years so that one was already on borrowed time. Your mileage may vary, but a few of my buddies in Portland got quotes closer to $800 for the same job last year.

sagejackson1d ago

Totally agree, I paid $900 for mine and felt like I overpaid.

david_palmer1d ago

Take @sagejackson's side and say $900 is actually fair for a decent install job.