My water heater died at 3am last Tuesday. No savings for a new one.

I woke up to freezing water in the shower. Tank was 15 years old and the bottom rusted clean through. Called around for quotes. Cheapest install was $1,200 plus the unit. I had maybe $300 in my emergency fund. So I grabbed a $50 heat gun from Harbor Freight and watched three YouTube videos. Soldered the leak myself with a patch kit. Held for two days then gave out again. Ended up financing a new unit through the plumber at 0% for 12 months. That payment stings but at least I learned to never skip the yearly flush again. Anyone else have a home system fail when you were totally broke?

2 comments

2 Comments

emmar752d ago

Read something the other day about how most homes have at least one major system fail within the first five years of owning it. Definitely sounds like you got the short end of the stick with that old tank, but glad you could at least finance it without interest.

lucas9722d ago

My old 40-gallon Rheem gave out the same way around 3am on a Sunday back in 2019. I tried patching it twice with epoxy and hose clamps from Lowes before I gave up and called a buddy who does HVAC on the side. He walked me through installing a basic 30-gallon electric unit myself for about $600 total, and I paid him back over three months with no interest. The yearly flush thing is real - I bet if I had drained that tank even once in the first decade it would have lasted another five years. Your 0% financing is a win, just make sure you set a calendar reminder so you don't miss a payment.