Arthur

ChemEng turned corporate strategist (retired). Building an afterlife with options, applied AI, DIY, etc. I know a lot about a little and a little about a lot.

[Arthur @arthurbennett67]

A few comments on this:

1⃣ Licensed plumbers don't typically install water heaters from Lowe's. The choose commercial-grade units from wholesale supply houses These are $750 to $950+ before standard markup.

2⃣ Non-tank materials are typically $150-$200. Fittings, hoses, valves, flue vent connections, drain pan, etc.

3⃣There is typically a municipal permit/inspection fee ($50–$150).

4⃣ There is typically 2-3 hours of additional time other than what the homeowner sees. Customer intake, driving to/from customer, driving to/from supply house, dealing with old water heater (if packed with sediment), hauling and disposal of old water heater, etc.

5⃣ Misc - overhead, capex involved in tools to install water heater efficiently, warranty calls (labor), etc.

6⃣ Could be the "Go-Away Price", assuming the homeowner will get additional bids that will be lower. Maybe they are booked out 3 weeks and can't get to your job in a timely manner, so they bid it assuming OT on a Saturday is needed to actually do the job.

I am not a licensed plumber with a small business, I just know how these businesses function from a high level. Given that, does the quote seem more reasonable?

[CeCe 🇺🇸 ♥️🤍💙 @AolCRAFT]

@JoJoFromJerz @rrnorris1 @BarackObama

[Arthur @arthurbennett67]

@bridgesvernon @uncvoss No, you are incorrect. I am willing and able to defend the content of my post, but I can't do anything with a reply like this.

[James Tate @JamesTate121]

This is the truth.

[Arthur @arthurbennett67]

Wholesale plumbing supply houses (Ferguson, Winsupply, Hajoca) do not sell "no-brand Chinese water heaters." The three manufacturers that control the U.S. wholesale market—Bradford White, A.O. Smith, and Rheem—manufacture their tanks in North America. It is not viable to ship small 40 gallon tanks over the ocean because of the volume of air that would be shipped.

Also, you can only reuse old connections if the house uses flexible hoses, the new tank has the exact same physical dimensions as the 12-year-old tank, and the homeowner asks the plumber to reuse 12-year-old rubber washers and corroded dielectric sleeves. I have no idea why anyone would do that or want that. On any hard-piped system—or any swap involving dimensional shifts and code updates—cutting and retrofitting with new materials is physically mandatory.

[Arthur @arthurbennett67]

It does matter, let me clarify. First, nobody claimed the plumber holds the multi-year warranty on the tank—the manufacturer does. Second, if something fails within the warranty period, the manufacturer covers the replacement part, but reimburses $0 for labor because a reputable shop supplying a turnkey $1,800 water heater includes a standard 1-year labor guarantee on the job. That means the plumber needs to eat the cost of the call. Spec'ing out wholesale pro-grade hardware is how they protect themselves from working for free because the risk of early failure ("infant mortality") is less because of the upgraded components.

[Arthur @arthurbennett67]

@OldGloryReed @uncvoss You are comparing apples and oranges. You are describing a labor-only hookup of homeowner-supplied equipment. The OP was complaining about an $1,800 turnkey quote where the contractor supplies the tank, materials, haul-away, and warranty.

[Arthur @arthurbennett67]

Ok, commercial grade is perhaps a poor choice of words. "Retail / Big-Box Grade" versus "Wholesale / Contractor Pro-Grade" is probably more accurate.

A.O. Smith, Rheem, and Bradford White control almost the entire market. Bradford White is not sold at Big Box stores, period, per corporate policy. A.O. Smith sells the Signature series at Lowe's, but sells the ProLine through wholesale distributors. Rheem sells the Performance / Gladiator series at Home Depot, but sells the Professional series through wholesale distributors.

The differences between the big box store units and the wholesale units are perhaps small, but not insignificant. Plastic parts vs brass parts. Copper vs stainless steel. If the plumber has to come out and do a warranty repair, the parts may be covered, but his/her labor is not. Another advantage is the "over-the-counter" warranty swap privileges at the wholesale distributors. No need to call a 1-800 number for a warranty like if bought through Lowe's. This saves valuable time for the plumber.

[Arthur @arthurbennett67]

@hey_itsmyturn Looks like Bill Maher now has the rent free room next to Obama in Trump's brain

[Arthur @arthurbennett67]

@Acyn And Obama continues to occupy a huge room in Trump's brain, completely rent free.

[shelby @thetrueshelby]

Y’all, hear me out.

[Arthur @arthurbennett67]

@PtrPomorski I am pretty sure I am missing the joke, but I will reply. Ignoring the tax implications, a $1,000,000 investment in SPY at 8% annual growth assumption outperforms a 5.63% 30-year U.S. Treasury bond by $7M to $8M over that 30 year period.

[Arthur @arthurbennett67]

@BulwarkClips Just stop talking dude... you're just digging a deeper hole.

[Arthur @arthurbennett67]

Some people are so out of touch with the average working individual.

[Keith Olbermann @KeithOlbermann]

From @TheAthletic:

The worst owner in sports; the worst owner in the history of NY sports, Fat Jim Dolan, sent emails to Knicks employees promising them championship rings

It was a lie; a test to see who would click on the link. All they got was a cyber class

Dolan is scum

[Arthur @arthurbennett67]

@JessPected Thanks for sharing. Excellent, thought provoking analysis. It's been awhile since I have seen it, but there are definitely some nuances you pount out that are easily missed (by myself included) beyond the obvious story line.

[Arthur @arthurbennett67]

I didn't fill the 2011-2025 gap not because the paper trail doesn't exist but because it's the same pattern. Lament about partisan toxicity while concurrently working in the background to do the exact thing he is lamenting about. He hasn't changed. He only pivoted because he was criticized for his comments.

Ultimately, I don't need to rely on 2010—or even 2021—to prove Luntz hasn't changed. Yesterday, he said this:

"This may prove to be the most memorable ad of the entire election cycle. It is devastating. But I would've held it until the final weekend of the campaign. With this much time before the election, I fully expect the Democrats to have an equally devastating response."

So he is fanboying over the ad yesterday, but today writes about how "All the tools of electioneering are now being used to mislead rather than enlighten."?

See the article below about a speech he gave 12 years ago claiming "something in his psyche has broken" in reference to partisan politics. Same pattern.

https://t.co/mzeFqAXc1S

[Arthur @arthurbennett67]

Thanks for the fact check on Joe Gaylord. The source I used (https://t.co/NFrIa0wTfr) still credits Luntz but he clarified on Mother Jones in 2019 that he didn't start working for Gingrich until 1994 (https://t.co/AvAYLNMUa9).

I definitely got that wrong and own it. But I will say that Luntz is still a part of the problem. He got censured by AAPOR in 1997 for refusing to release Contract with America poll data. He wrote the 2002 climate memo (SourceWatch), that has the title of 2010 PolitiFact Lie of the Year. And he definitely just told Politico Playbook that Vivek Ramaswamy should have saved the Amy Acton mother ad "until the final weekend of the campaign."

[The Road Jess Travelled @JessPected]

Thinking about this meme & how the white, both in its generous proportion & description of basic decency as heroic, never sat right with me. We've heard of numerous cases of men drugging wives & inviting men to rape them with NONE reporting it. Where were those "heroes"?

[Arthur @arthurbennett67]

@Liz_Wheeler I am appalled .. that I will never get this time in my life back. This is the stupidest thing I have read on X in awhile.