water tank replacement price quote

[joesxm3]

My dad had air in his pipes that would not go away. He had the man from the well company come and bleed the system. The guy said that the tank is loaded with air and that when the pump comes on air goes in before the water.

The tank is 20 years old and my dad had been talking about replacing it. Dad is 91.

The well guy said that the tank and the system in general is loaded with magnesium. I think that was what he said. In any case, it looks like black granules.

He said that the check valve is probably not working and needs to be replaced. He says being so old (probably older than the tank) the pipes will probably break when he tries to take off the check valve.

So, he proposes that we replace the tank and the pipes and put in one or two check valves to keep the water from draining back towards the well pump.

Dad lives in CT, which may affect the pricing.

The estimate given is $2800 to $3000. Dad thinks this is way out of line.

A few years ago I had my well pump replaced and was given a new water tank as part of the process. I think the guy charged me something like $5600 and people told me that he was robbing me blind and that the project should have been more like $3000. I am going to look for the receipts but I think that the water tank part of it was less than $1000. But that did not include the pipes and check valve work that seems to be needed here.

Is this estimate reasonable?

 

[qwerty3656]

Is the water tank for hot water, or some sort of tank for storage of well water?

 

[joesxm3]

This is for the water tank that the well pump fills up in order to provide water to the house.

 

[qwerty3656]

Ok - I got nothing then (I recently had a hot water heater replaced, but don't have well water)

 

[joesxm3]

I saw an article on angie.com saying that a tank should be $400 and labor $300, which was close to what I seem to have paid in 2018.

I will have to ask the guy to break down the items in the quote. If he is not over charging, maybe there are piping issues.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Sounds like they are trying to take advantage of him. Pressure tanks can be bought for less than $500. As far as "the pipes" being replaced...you would have to elaborate. Is he talking about a foot or so prior to and after the tank (inlet/outlet)? Depending on what he is talking about, that could be driving the cost. Check valves are $20 or less and installation of valves/tank *shouldn't* be more than a few hundred dollars.

As to what is in the water, I would suggest finding a testing lab (very common with university extension services for agricultural services) and test for metals/contaminants/etc.

I recently learned ALL about well water and common issues after dealing with some corrosion. ALL the local plumbers try to associate the issues with hard water when in fact it was highly acidic water. Not saying your plumber is wrong, but when it comes to things like this...I will educate myself about the subject; it can save you a LOT of money and save you some headaches.

Edit: Well testing in CT: https://ctiwr.uconn.edu/resident-resources/

 

[Aerides]

I paid around $900 for an installed tank replacement, around 2009. Even given 13 years and the recent inflation - on things like steel, etc., I'd raise an eyebrow to any quote today over $2k.

Unless there are other factors - plumbing replacements, an oversized heater, etc.

But for any job like this, unless you have a known, trusted provider - get a couple more quotes.

 

[DektolMan]

I'm in CT also and had my tank replaced a couple of years ago. I had to have a new well pump as well as the holding tank. It came to $2950. I think they are taking advantage of your dad.

 

[OldShooter]

A check valve is part of the design of the submersible pump. It does indeed keep the system from draining backwards down the pipe and is necessary. But it is no big deal. The check valve in our sub pump stuck open a few years ago and the well guys just added a second one in the line. As far as fearing that the pipe might break, that sounds like a ghost story to me. But so what? If it breaks then it will need replacement. If it doesn't, game over for the salesman.

Regardless, I would get a second opinion from a well-regarded firm.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I paid around $900 for an installed tank replacement, around 2009. Even given 13 years and the recent inflation - on things like steel, etc., I'd raise an eyebrow to any quote today over $2k.

Unless there are other factors - plumbing replacements, an oversized heater, etc.

But for any job like this, unless you have a known, trusted provider - get a couple more quotes.

I assume you are talking about a water HEATER. The OP is talking about a pressure tank that is used in a well system.

 

[ponyboy]

These tanks arent more than $500. You can buy them at any hardware store or plumbing supply store. Add in $200 for random parts, which is steep. Lets just say $750 for parts. The rest is labor. Thats steep. Most plumbers dont charge more than $100/hr. Couple hour job.

Then again, you could fire up youtube and do it yourself. Its simple unless you've never sweated a pipe before. Pressure switch is easy to install. Tanks already come with inflated bladder and if not, so what, fill it up and test pressure with a pressure gauge.

 

[street]

Until the detailed parts and work that was done it would be hard to judge the cost. Pressure tanks very in price a lot from the size of the tank.

Check valves are also a requirement here to avoid backwash. Backwash water could be poison or chemical from people using these products and then goes back down the well. A double in many places is code I was told.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

These tanks arent more than $500. You can buy them at any hardware store or plumbing supply store. Add in $200 for random parts, which is steep. Lets just say $750 for parts. The rest is labor. Thats steep. Most plumbers dont charge more than $100/hr. Couple hour job.

Then again, you could fire up youtube and do it yourself. Its simple unless you've never sweated a pipe before. Pressure switch is easy to install. Tanks already come with inflated bladder and if not, so what, fill it up and test pressure with a pressure gauge.

I am sure this is regional, but most of the larger outfits in our neck of the woods charge "by the job" (pretty common in the ATL area too a few years ago). We had a couple of fairly simple repairs done about a year ago and the cost was over $500 and the guy was here for about 45 minutes.

 

[cyber888]

I replaced my hot water gas tank around 4 years ago. It is a 50 gallon tank with a 12 year warranty. They put a small blue pressurized tank too as part of the new code. It cost around $1600+. If I remember, the tank was around $800 and the rest is labor plus that pressurized tank. This was Lowes. It's working very well. I don't know about well pumps.

 

[joesxm3]

I spoke with my uncle who is a very knowledgeable do it yourselfer and a cheapskate. He has worked with the well guy before and says he does excellent work and does not rip people off. He had a similar job done two years ago and paid $2000 and felt that was fair.

I spoke with the well guy and he said that if we do nothing dad will need to bleed the pipes over and over. He seems to think that he should replace the pipes from the well head into the house both to fix the problem and to avoid having to come back in six months.

So it seems more involved than a simple tank replacement and the problem is not the tank which we are replacing because it is 20'years old.

I have my hands full taking care of my 95 year old mother that I rescued from the nursing home at the start of covid. And while poor, dad is 100% cash so beating our ytd results by a mile. So I am going to take the path of least resistance and go with the guy.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Bamaman]

It has not been said on how deep the well is, and what kind of pump is being used.

Most now use submersible pumps, and they're in the $400-$500 range. The foot valve is built into the pump. The pressure tanks in popular sizes are $300-$400. Black plastic coil pipe that goes to the pump is about $1.15 per foot.

It's a long way from $1,000 in supplies to $5,000 quoted. It would be safe to say that someone tried to take advantage of a senior citizen.

Last time we had a pump failure, my father and I pulled the pump (50') with a come-a-long and replaced it ourselves. It's just not that big of a job with a little ingenuity.

 

[frank]

I have a well and do my own maintainence. If your dad has air in the pipes it is because the bladder in the air tank is bad and the tank is waterlogged. the way to tell that is if the tank is full of water instead of having some air in the tank. any time you turn on a faucet or flush a toilet the pump will kick in. that is because you can pressurize air but not water. I replaced my pressure tank a couple of years ago and the tank was about 300. if you think you need a backflow valve you can put it in just before the tank. I have owned a well for about the last 50 years and have done all the work on it myself, saying that I am getting older and may have to hire some of it done. I don't know what they charge per hour for work on wells, but according to everything else I see the prices in the last year have gone up considerably. I had a roof put on one of my houses 2 years ago, tear off and replace cost 4700. this last couple months I checked to have a house roofed of similar size and materials, cheapest price 6600 and the highest 10600.

 

[CarbonaNotGlue]

I replaced my 25 year old water heater last month. We got a new, electric 60 gallon water heater with some new valves and copper piping for $910 installed. We’re in Florida so I don’t know if that matters much, but your dad’s quote seems rather high.

 

[old medic]

I have a well and do my own maintenance. If your dad has air in the pipes it is because the bladder in the air tank is bad and the tank is waterlogged.

Its also possible if its a submersible pump, that the water level/pump depth is not sufficient and sucking some air.
I do my own work too, and we had to replace everything here when we bought this place. 50 foot deep 24"bored well, 1/2 HP pump with a 20 gallon tank.. $350 at Tractor Supply.

 

[frank]

Its also possible if its a submersible pump, that the water level/pump depth is not sufficient and sucking some air.
I do my own work too, and we had to replace everything here when we bought this place. 50 foot deep 24"bored well, 1/2 HP pump with a 20 gallon tank.. $350 at Tractor Supply.

could be possible, I have a 150 ft well with a 1hp submersible and the water has never been that low so that problem never came up. I always start with the easiest fix first. check tank, then look for more extensive problems.

 

[joesxm3]

Thanks.

Those able to do the work themselves are way ahead of the game. In my case, I might be able to learn how to do it, but have no experience and am over my head caring for mom and stepdad.

It is probably worth the premium to have this well guy be prompt and courteous. We also have a water leak from the toilet. We tried for a week to get a plumber with no luck. He got his subcontractor to come today. "He Mike. I have a live wire hear. Come wet your beak."

At this point I will trust my uncle who says this guy is not a ripoff artist. He may be a skilled worker who charges at the upper price range. But at this point I just want it over with.

Thanks again for the info and advice. Nice to have knowledgeable people to ask questions to.