Shoutout to the guy who told me to just replace my whole water heater

Last Tuesday, my old water heater in the Northeast Heights started making a loud rumbling noise. A friend insisted the only fix was a full $1,200 replacement. I disagreed and spent three hours flushing it and replacing the heating element myself for about $80. The noise is completely gone and it's working perfectly now. Sometimes the big, expensive fix isn't the only answer. Has anyone else had a repair where the common advice was to replace, but a simpler fix worked?

3 comments

3 Comments

angelafisher18d ago

I actually read an article from UNM's engineering blog that said 90% of water heater rumbling is just sediment that can be flushed out. People are way too quick to drop a grand when a $10 hose does the trick.

jakegarcia2mo ago

My old heater in Nob Hill made that same noise last winter.

the_dakota2mo ago

Seriously, that rumbling is almost always just sediment buildup. People jump straight to replacement because the fix is messy and a bit of a pain. Good on you for putting in the work instead of the cash.