Plumber $332... and more to come

[disneysteve]

We had a plumber out today to fix a leaky pipe. That repair ran us $332. Of course, he felt obliged to point out that our water heater is 15 years old and they're only rated for 10 years (I knew this). He also said that it no longer meets code because the rules have changed since it was installed. Estimate for the new one and related work is about $1,200. Plus, we'll need some kind of chimney liner that they don't do. Not sure what that is, who does it or what it costs.

The joy of home ownership.

[Ima saver]

My dh does plumbing work too. He charges $30 an hour!

[GREENBACK]

I used to complain many thousands of dollars ago. I just gave up and accepted it. I'm sure my blood pressure dropped several points

[ActYourWage]

My dh does plumbing work too. He charges $30 an hour!

I thought plumbers charged more than that? Like around $50 an hour.

[I.T.Guy]

I thought plumbers charged more than that? Like around $50 an hour.

I think it depends on where you live. Where I live, it's more like $60-70 per hour.

[disneysteve]

Around here, it is $75-$100 just for them to come out, plus the cost of any work they actually do.

[simpleyme]

thank goodness my Dh is handy , no plumbing bills at all ;-) but hes not a doc so we are forced to pay for that ;-) win some lose some

[tripods68]

You don't want to mess around with this crap. You want professionals doing this job the proper way.

[Ima saver]

My dh is not a licensed plumber, he is a licensed builder. However, he has always done all the plumbing and electrical work in the approx. 100 new homes he has built! And they always pass inspection and we have never had a problem.
I asked him how much it would cost to buy and install a new hot water heater. (electric heater) It said he would charge about $500-600 and that includes the hot water heater.
I guess I know why he is always busy! Thank goodness, we never have to pay for repair work around the house.

[disneysteve]

I asked him how much it would cost to buy and install a new hot water heater. (electric heater) It said he would charge about $500-600 and that includes the hot water heater.

That's probably about right. Our plumber quoted us $900 but we have a gas water heater which is probably a bit more involved to install than an electric. Plus, we live in a higher cost of living area than you.

The additional $300 in our quote was for work beyond just doing the hot water heater itself.

[Ima saver]

A gas water heater does cost more also.

[wincrasher]

Check with the gas company. Sometimes they install them or have contractors specifically for it. You could save a few bucks maybe. Also sometimes they have no interest pay plans where they add it to your bill over some months. You could also have a tax break for high efficiency upgrade you could take advantage of.

And see my post in the other thread - you could possibly save money converting to an electric type - they are much, much better these days.

[Snave]

Thank goodness my father is a plumber. It has saved us many times. Plus, he lives right around the corner so if we have a problem, he just pops right over.

[SnoopyCool]

DH has buddies in both plumbing and electrical so we get a discount rate (or we barter). Works out pretty well!

[markusk]

As they say, a family needs at least 6 professions as members: plumber, electrician, physician, car mechanic, lawyer and "a computer guy."