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Ngl, replacing a water heater took me 3 weekends instead of 1 afternoon
Figured it'd be a simple swap out. Old one was 15 years old and finally leaking. Got the new one home from Lowe's, shut off the gas, drained it, pulled it out. Then realized the new unit was 2 inches taller and didn't fit under the furnace duct. Had to cut and reroute the gas line, then the flex connectors were the wrong size. By the time I got it all hooked up and the pilot lit, 3 Saturdays had gone by. Has anyone else hit a random measurement issue like that?
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xena37313d ago
Honestly, I kinda gotta disagree with the whole "measurement issue" angle here. A 2 inch height difference isn't some hidden trap, it's a basic spec you check before you even leave the store. You had the old heater right there, you coulda measured the height and width of the space, then compared it to the new one's dimensions on the box. That's just the first step of any swap. Same with the flex connectors, you can see the thread size on the old ones and buy the right ones upfront. Sounds like you rushed the planning part and then blamed the hardware for it.
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OH man I gotta push back on that a little. Yeah measuring is important but who ACTUALLY whips out a tape measure on an old rusty water heater sitting in a dark corner? You eyeball it, you see it's roughly the same size, you think "close enough." The real issue is that manufacturers love to mess with dimensions for no reason. I bet that old unit was a standard 48 inches and the new one is a "tall" model that hangs around 50. That's a trap they set on purpose. Plus those flex connectors are a nightmare because nobody tells you that 1/2 inch NPT doesn't always match up with the new brass fittings. You gotta check the threads on both ends or you end up buying three different kits like I did. I'm with you on the planning thing but sometimes the hardware store website lies about what's actually in the box.
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