If you're reading this, you likely have one of two problems. Either your water heater leaks, or you're having more children and need to 'upgrade'. (There's also the possibility that you're changing from gas to electric because of the high cost of natural gas these days. In that case, this won't help you much because I'm just gonna swap out an old gas heater for a new one.)

Believe it or not, changing out your own hot water heater isn't that difficult and could save you a couple of hundred dollars in labor. A bit of experience soldering plumbing is helpful, but I'll explain the details for those of you that don't have that experience.

Tools You Need

Let's first take a look at the tools you'll need to get the job done.

• Medium to Large Pipe Wrench
• Channel Locks or a large Crescent Wrench
• Torch and tank of MAPP gas*
• Teflon Tape
• Pipe Cutter*
• Plumber's sand paper*

(*These items are only needed if you're changing to a larger tank, or if the fittings are too corroded to remove.)

That's about it. This isn't a real tough job. If you're just replacing a leaking water heater, it shouldn't take long and you won't need lots of tools. You may have to replace some of the parts if they are corroded. Let's start with an inspection of the current heater and I'll show you the tell tail signs of a much needed replacement.