Best Of

did you buy the original water heater directly or did you buy it through the installer? I've seen smart contractors charge handling fees when they didn't sell the equipment, because they don't want to be out money if something happens in transport, usually its around the cost of a new unit. I've never heard of an installer charging a handling fee for a warranty unit replacement of a unit they directly sold a customer though. 1 year workmanship warranty is pretty standard, I would be shocked if this wasn't leaking in the first year lol, but yeah kind of less recourse when its been so long, and clearly that leak has been unaddressed for years.

Hi, Is the tank itself actually leaking? If not, I'd replace the cold-side plumbing down to the tank, replace the anode rod and keep going. I'd also use a different plumber. The old gate valve should have been replaced, along with having unions at the hot and cold connections. In the West, we almost always use flex connectors, which would have prevented any strain on the copper sweat joints and given unions. 🤠

Yours, Larry