Water Heater/Copper Stolen, how much?

Question

Anyone ever experience this?

The house I have a contract on had the basement door kicked in and the copper and water heater were stolen.

Anyone know a ballpark price on fixing this nonsense....

...man am I pissed.

Jeffrey K. · Answer

We are not there to see it.  Call a plumber.

Rob Gillespie · Answer

Who would do such a thing, that has never happened to any of us , lol!!! Just trying to lighten the mood, think of this as having your real estate cherry popped! It will happen eventually in Just about any neighborhood. 
I would not put copper back in, use pex. Much cheaper and no one will steal it again. As for the water tank, prices are all over the board on those, need more detail. Good luck, and don't get discouraged, it's just part of the game.

Jeffrey K. · Answer

I dont understand how you can say a hot water heater is going to cost 500? We dont know what size it is, what type it is, how it vents, or how big the house is.  He needs to give more details or call an expert on the ground (best idea).

I have buildings where it cost me $300 to put in a new 40 gal or $5000 to put in an 80 gal power vent 199,000btu.  It all depends on what you have.

Account Closed · Answer

yep, this happens anywhere...has nothign to do with the neighborhood and everything to do with the opportunity to make easy money...for example, my dad works for a homebuilding company building 500k homes, and they just had copper stolen on one of their new builds in a luxury community on a golf course!!  people are getting creative...

as for the water heater, a standard 40 gallon cheapo is 220 at lowes...pex is cheap and quick...i use it for all plumbing needs

Michael Lauther · Answer

I just replaced copper pipes in a small 2 bedroom one bath home. pipes ran to kitchen sink,  bathroom toilet, sink and tub. 
used Pex  cost including labor was 1100, had estimates that ranged to over $2100.
this is in Dayton OH.

Bienes Raices · Answer

I had a cage put around the new AC condensor for the REO I bought recently. No one ever messed with the AC, but someone spraypainted graffiti on the exterior of the house while it was an REO, so I figured better safe than sorry.

Kyle Meyers · Answer

I just finished a rehab on a rental I bought that had been broken into and had furnaces, electric wiring, and pipes stolen. Call a few plumbers and electricians and get quotes. I got 3 quotes and the last one came in at less than half what the others were, make sure you get multiple quotes. Also, be prepared for additional pluming work since you won't be able to test anything until you have the stolen pipes replaced.

Sam Ferris · Answer

Of course he gives insufficient detail but a 40gal water heater is more then sufficient for 90 percent of the homes in america. He might have some 3 bathroom home, but its not likely.

Also as it was stolen one can assume that its not all that large.

$300 gets you the kind that build up calcium and need to be cleaned each year. Save time on repairs and get something that will last with minimal mantence.

Sam Ferris · Answer

Just install dummy security cameras and a good lock.

Mitch Kronowit · Answer

Was this an isolated incident or typical for that area? Personally, I wouldn't buy in a neighborhood where stuff like this is common place.

Water Heater/Copper Stolen, how much?

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