After one homeowner proactively replaced their 24-year-old water heater before it totally gave out, they were stunned to receive a $3,000 installation quote for a new $769 unit.
The resident posted on Reddit's r/HomeImprovement community to ask whether this quote was normal for a water heater installation. That price almost immediately drew pushback.
Here's what to know
In the Reddit forum, the original poster wrote, "My old water heater has 24 years [of] use on it. I decided I'd replace it before it failed." OP then said a referred installation service then came back with a figure that seemed wildly high: "I get a number over $3000. I questioned the guy if that could be right, he stuck with it."
Other homeowners agreed the quote was too high. Several provided personal examples that came in well below that.
One person said a 40-gallon model cost $1,400 total to replace, including labor, materials, and a new shutoff valve.
Another wrote a "licensed master plumber with good reviews" picked up the heater, installed it, and hauled away the old one for $1,200.
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Another commenter in a high-cost-of-living area still reported paying $2,000 all-in for a 40-gallon replacement, adding, "OP's $3,000 is outrageous even for me."
Separately, another user said that if the customer supplies the heater, a reputable plumber would more likely charge roughly $800 to $1,200 for labor and miscellaneous installation materials.
Of course, prices will not be identical in every house. But the consensus was that this particular quote still looked unusually steep. Readers also repeatedly cautioned against using big-box stores for contractor referrals, saying the middleman arrangement can add markup to an otherwise straightforward replacement.
What can be done?
The clearest advice in the thread was "Get 3 quotes." That could be the difference between paying more than $3,000 for installation or finding a price between $800 and $1,200.
Do-it-yourself installations came up too, but only with caveats. A few commenters said electric water heaters can be fairly straightforward and much cheaper to install yourself, while gas or propane units were described as riskier for anyone without experience.
One user who said they paid $550 for a Lowe's water heater and $300 to have it installed summed up the reaction this way, "Call around. $3,000 even with parts included is insane."
Where can I learn more?
Questions about water heater pricing come up in plenty of other situations too, from warranty replacements to heat pump upgrade debates.
• One homeowner paid $1,400 for a warranty water heater swap and still felt overcharged.
• Frustrated homeowners say some plumbers just want to charge boatloads extra for heat pump water heater jobs.
• Another homeowner grew wary after a plumber offered questionable advice on a heat pump water heater upgrade.
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