Old water heater finally kicked the bucket and I got it swapped out

Mine went about the same way last fall, except mine was a slow leak out of the bottom seam that I kept putting a bucket under for two weeks like an idiot. Mine was 15 years old, 40 gallon, and I got quoted $1,400 from one guy and $2,050 from another for basically the same swap. I pushed back on the second quote and asked what the difference was, and he admitted the higher number included a bigger markup on the tank itself. I found out later some plumbers pad the heater price quite a bit, so it can pay to ask what the tank itself costs versus labor.

The expansion tank was the same deal for me. One quote had it as a line item, the other just said it was included, and that made comparing them confusing until I asked. Sounds like your middle quote was actually the honest one since the venting code stuff can quietly add a few hundred bucks if it gets quoted separately.

Four hours is about right too. Mine took five because the shutoff valve on the cold inlet was seized and he had to replace that first. That is a good question to ask up front on older installs, whether they will swap the valve if it is stuck, since not every quote includes it and you do not want to find out mid job.

I took the DIY route on mine two summers ago, so my numbers look a lot diferent. 40 gallon electric, Rheem from the big box store, around $700 all in with the new flex connectors, a pan, and the fittings. It took me a full Saturday and a couple trips to the store for parts I didn't know I needed, but the math worked out for me since I had a buddy who has done a few of these come over and help wrestle the old one out of the closet.

The part nobody warns you about is draining the old tank. Mine had so much sediment in it that the drain valve clogged twice and I ended up siphoning sludge into buckets for what felt like hours. Getting that dead tank up a narrow stairwell was honestly the hardest part of the whole job. That said, if I had gas or needed venting changes like you did, I would have handed it off without a second thought. Your price sounds reasonable for what was included, especally the code work on the venting, since that alone can balloon a quote fast. I shut the breaker off and checked the wires with a meter before touching anything, which I'd tell anyone to do if they go the DIY route, but for a gas swap with venting involved I'm glad that's not my problem.

I'd push back a little on the DIY math being that simple. When I looked at doing my own a couple years back, the permit and inspection requirement in my town alone changed the picture, plus disposal of the old tank is on you. The store price on the heater is not the whole number once you count everything. If a friend with experiance is standing next to you it can still make sense, but for a lot of people the pros quote ends up closer to the DIY total than they expect.

That price sounds about right for what you got. I put in my last one back in '09 and even then the good outfits weren't cheap. What I remember from watching mine get done was how little anybody used to bother checking the venting. The old-timer who taught me always said you draft test with a match after the swap, and half the guys stopped even doing that. Sounds like your fella actualy looked at the TPR run too, which around here used to just get pointed at a seven gallon bucket and called good. One thing for next time, flush a few gallons off the bottom every fall. Sediment is what cooked mine, not the tank itself.