Help with who to purchase water heater from

[Stewie]

I am looking to replace a 15 year old 40 gallon A.O. Smith Power Vent water heater in my home. I have a plumber I've used before who I'm going to have install.

Plumber sells Bradford White's and quoted a price for WH/install and disposal. This is the most expensive option. He also gave me a price to install a heater I purchase on my own. This saves me about 200-300 depending on the heater I buy. After doing some research I came up with 3 options.

1. I can go with the Bradford White. Am I getting a higher quality heater or is the plumber just making more from selling the water heater? I guess I may get better warranty coverage and wouldn't have to pickup the water heater and haul it downstairs.
2. I can go to Home Depot and go with their best Rheem. I'd like to know if these models available at the big box stores are as good as what the plumber's can purchase.
3. I can order online from supplyhouse.com They seem to be the only place I can buy the higher end models such as an AO Smith XE. I am worried about have a water heater shipped and receiving a damaged unit.

What would you do if you did not want to DIY?

Thanks!

 

[Terry]

I would have the plumber supply and install it.
I would not have it shipped. Have you seen the people that drop off water heaters on your sidewalk? They're drivers not delivery people. At least the ones I see are.
Some will say that all heaters are the same, but I notice the ones I buy from my plumber only suppliers seem to have some nicer features. Your plumber buys for less at his supplier than if he buys retail at the home centers. We buy thousands of dollars worth of supplies where we buy with a quick phone call or fax. Almost no time is spent with us explaining about what we want to purchase. We are repeat, repeat, repeat buyers of the same stuff.

I install Bradford White and Rheem.

By the way, I just signed a contract to have a fir tree taken down in my front yard. I would rather plumb to earn money to have the tree taken down and save myself the grief of worrying about the thing falling on me.
And as a homeowner that didn't replace water heaters for a living, I would have a plumber do it.

I pay someone to do my taxes every year. It's a physically easy job, but they know a lot more about it than I do.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Sylvan]

Your 1 million percent correct Terry as "Supplied by others" is great as it less liability for contractors

 

[WorthFlorida]

Always better buying from your trusted plumber. When a plumber supplies and installs anything, he usually will use what gives him the least troubles, if any. Anything wrong and he’ll take care of it where as a unit from HD it is in your hands. Also, most states buying through the plumber usually results in no sales tax for the water heater where as at HD you’ll be paying it.

 

[hj]

In this state, we do NOT have to "charge" the customer sales tax, because we pay it when we purchase the heater, BUT the cost is passed on the customer some how.

 

[Reach4]

In this state, we do NOT have to "charge" the customer sales tax, because we pay it when we purchase the heater, BUT the cost is passed on the customer some how.

I was surprised at that, but searching shows this treatment is fairly common among states. That would seem easiest on the customer vs charging sales tax on the marked up price of the WH. In particular, for pump installs, it is common to mark up the pump a lot, and to have low labor charges. So if paying sales tax on the marked up amount, that would cost the customer more. Some states charge tax on both parts and labor, and for those states the tax would be a line item on the bill.

Minn would charge sales tax on both the WH and the labor... the whole job (https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/businesses/sut/factsheets/FS152.pdf page 3).

I was expecting to find a list of how each state taxes such a job. I found no such list.

 

[Terry]

Some states have a state income tax and some have a sales tax. If you are in a sales tax state, then everything purchased for the home, the parts and the labor get taxed. Buying wholesale with a reseller account may mean that the tax isn't paid at that sale, but it surely is collected at the last sale. They want the tax rate on the highest part of the sale. I file a monthly report with payment.

I'm sure that your plumber buys for much less at his supplier than at a hardware store, which for small parts will sometimes triple what they sell things for. I laugh when a homeowner tells me they can buy parts for me. I don't have time to peel stickers off all of the fittings, and I have everything I want already on the truck.

 

[WorthFlorida]

Things have changed over the years. I found, and now I recall that sales tax is collected from all suppliers in Florida. Since there is no state income tax in Florida, sales tax is the primary revenue source. I recently had a quartz’s counter top fabricated and installed for $1250. The receipt had no sales tax listed. A water heater and counter tops are permanent fixtures under Florida law and installed by a “real property contractor”.

General rule of taxability of real property contractors. Contractors are the ultimate consumers of materials and supplies they use to perform real property contracts and must pay tax on their costs of those materials and supplies, unless the contractor has entered a retail sale plus installation contract.