Converting Gas Hot Water Heater to Electric

[Sandy]

Can someone tell me if this is a difficult task and about how much I should expect to pay for such a conversion?

Appreciate your help..... 8)

[bkrahmer]

Are you talking about actually converting a gas water heater to electric, or simply replacing the water heater with an electric one? The former doesn't sound like a good idea. The latter is fairly simple if you are handy with plumbing. You'd have to disconnect and cap the gas line, cut the in and out pipes, put the heater in place, and sweat the connections. I'm assuming you've already got copper. And then, you'd probably want to plug the chimney for it as well, if it has its own. If it is a 220v heater, and you don't have 220v right there, you'd also have to deal with that.

OK, so maybe it's not that simple, but not too bad. Depending on where you are, you may also need plumbing and electric permits.[/i]

[bkrahmer]

I may have missed your intention. If you are thinking of having a plumber do it, and are curious as to how much it would cost, call three local plumbers and ask. Labor rates vary, depending on if you are in rural Alabama, Manhattan or somewhere in between, if you know what I mean.

[Sandy]

I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't clear about my intentions..... I just bought a house and it has a gas water heater outside on the back porch. The wall behind it is the laundry room, which is a substantial size. I would like to bring the plumbing indoors and get rid of the gas heater all together. My guess is that it is too involved for a diy kinda thing, so I guess I will check out the permitting laws and hire someone. I appreciate your help..... :)

[JCA]

Opinions vary, but I bet if you give that gas water heater a chance you'll really like it. A lot of people put water heaters outside the main house because it's pretty much a given that at some point they will leak.