ArcaMax

When a gas-operated heater stops producing hot water, usually after a good service life of 10 years or more, a replacement unit is needed sooner, not later, to keep everyone happy and humming along. You or a family member will be the first to know and react, because a hot water heater is one of those behind-the-scenes appliances that always produces a steady stream of hot water — until it doesn’t.

A plumber will charge $1,110 to remove an old unit and replace it with a 40-gallon energy-efficient, gas hot water heater. In most cases, the cost will include removing the old unit.

If you have plumbing and electric wiring skills and tools, you can make the swap for $900 and save 19%. Removing the brut is no easy task if you have to muscle it through a narrow hallway or up a steep basement stairwell. And you may have to pay your garbage service an extra fee to dispose of it.

The work involves disconnecting and removing the old unit and then making the new installation which is where plumbing and wiring skills and tools come in. And you’ll need to have your gas company, or a licensed plumber make the final fuel connections. Check with your local building department to find out exactly what’s required.

This is a do-not-do-it-yourself project. Have we convinced you the job is best left to a pro who has the expertise to do a safe installation? Hope so.

Pro Cost: $1,100 — DIY Cost: $900 — Pro time: 5.5
DIY Time: 6.3 — DIY Savings: $210 — Percent Saved: 19%

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To find more DIY project costs and to post comments and questions, visit www.diyornot.com and m.diyornot.com on smartphones.

©2025 Gene and Katie Hamilton. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.