# Price Increase on Water Heaters coming



## Phat Cat (Apr 1, 2009)

Just got the word from our supplier . . . water heaters are going up on 4/1/2011.


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

Ugh. Did they give you an aproximate %?






Paul


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

I'm not surprised. Everything else is going through the roof.


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## Phat Cat (Apr 1, 2009)

No, I didn't ask. We stock water heaters and I just figured I will see what the new ones cost. I usually ask, but I was busy that day. I'll ask on Monday.


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## Plumber Jim (Jun 19, 2008)

are you sure it's not just an April fools joke? lol


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Plumber Jim said:


> are you sure it's not just an April fools joke? lol


That would be funny if they handed out price sheets with everything going up 300% as an April Fools Joke....:laughing:

But somehow I don't think thats the case...

Better print more money we need more of it....
We gave it all to Wall Street, The Banks, The Insurance Companies, The Carmakers, The Appliance Makers....

Now we are out.... Better Print More....


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## Cal (Jun 17, 2008)

Heard the same . At least on the Brad Whites ,,, maybe 10%


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## Phat Cat (Apr 1, 2009)

Our supplier carries Rheems. However, it seems like all manufacturers raise around the same time.


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

*Haven't bought a water heater in years*

Always have the customer either pay for it at the supply house, over the phone, or have me pick up at the big box store (home depot or sears) once someone has paid for it.


My tuesday job works like this; customer already bought/picked up the sump pump and water heater I'm installing tuesday, will have it out of the box, old water heater drained next to the new one going in, in the basement.

^^^^

Customer knows I'm not marking up the product (good) and he just saved me a minimum hour in fetching the heater. It is a thing of beauty, didn't elevate my gross earnings, kept my 1% going towards all city licensing down by not moving these costly items.

First of april, customer is doing a complete gutout of her master bath. A brand new kohler cast iron tub is involved. 

Told her there's no way I'll touch that tub, other than the initial install when it is moved into the bathroom. She's getting/paying the lowe's delivery guys cash to get it up the steps. 

All faucets, granite countertops, faucet valves, everything... all there waiting for me. All I have to do is lug my tools to the upstairs and get the work done.


I'm mentioning this because those of you who buy water heaters are going to find out how hard it's going to be in the name of price competitiveness when you're bidding for that water heater install and your competition has old inventory that keeps the numbers without an increase. 

When you throw that large number at them, it is so damn easy for them to shop and beat it. When I tell them "have the heater there" it only limits me to a labor price, which is only an estimate of time, not an actual amount of time. 

Most customers are reasonable if you give them a decent range. The most unrealistic customers are ones that don't understand the difficulties of retrofitting a PowerVent water heater, and those never go quick. 

The lady I deal with in county for the bad check program... she called needing a water heater replaced, she didn't know if it was a powervent so her husband called me. HUGE mistake.

I find out really quick that this guy is a hustler, doesn't agree with me on the price at all. He was complaining a bradford white water heater only lasted 10 years and that it had to be worked on twice over that span of time. 

He also wanted me to supply the heater, to which I declined as he wanted a solid "complete" price. <<< Majority don't press me with that attitude, but it does happen every now and then. 

I don't like being price shopped because any plumber that goes into that situation of a replacement hasn't been there, and is bidding blindly. I give no free estimates on water heater replacements... never will.


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## Cal (Jun 17, 2008)

DB ,,, How do you get away with this stuff ?? 99% of my customers would tell me to go pound sand if i told them to have stuff delivered , un boxed & ready !!


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## ILPlumber (Jun 17, 2008)

Lochinvar is looking like 6%. All my stuff will be ordered before then......

Customer supplied material seems lazy.


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## Richard Hilliard (Apr 10, 2010)

Rheem just had a price increase. Ours increased at the beginning of Feb. I am hoping that a second increase is not in the works and your supplier is just restocking thier warehouse and it is taking affect on the new shipment.


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## Phat Cat (Apr 1, 2009)

Richard, this will be the second increase.


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## Evolve (Jan 2, 2011)

That is interesting. I wonder if we will be getting those same increases here in Canada. I'll be checking in with our supplier on Monday.


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

...



ILPlumber said:


> Lochinvar is looking like 6%. All my stuff will be ordered before then......
> 
> Customer supplied material seems lazy.
> And slightly unprofessional. The only customers that would appreciate the treatment Dunbar is talking about are the ones that will be getting the dial tone shortly after calling my office.


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## Richard Hilliard (Apr 10, 2010)

I just had price books reprinted. for the last price increase.

Thanks for the heads up


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

Cal said:


> DB ,,, How do you get away with this stuff ?? 99% of my customers would tell me to go pound sand if i told them to have stuff delivered , un boxed & ready !!


 


Here's how I do it: 


"Have the water heater there for us, out of the box and it'll take us less time to do the job." 

^^^^

That's called savings. I'm notorious for being known for "savings" to my customers. 

All of them do it, and if they don't, they at least get the water heater to the garage or back door. Good enough for me.

Customers always ask to help me carry tools out of the basement as well. Be good to your customer base and they'll treat you like gold.

I'm more than a plumber... _it's an experience_. :laughing:


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## Plumber Jim (Jun 19, 2008)

Redwood said:


> That would be funny if they handed out price sheets with everything going up 300% as an April Fools Joke....:laughing:
> 
> But somehow I don't think thats the case...
> 
> ...



Yea, that would be funny. I figured it was real, But being on April 1st I just got to thinking maybe the supply house was being funny. lol


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## Phat Cat (Apr 1, 2009)

Plumber Jim said:


> Yea, that would be funny. I figured it was real, But being on April 1st I just got to thinking maybe the supply house was being funny. lol


It definitely was not a joke.


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## Richard Hilliard (Apr 10, 2010)

I called Rheem today 10% hike, AO Smith 7%
called my suppliers and asked them to emaill me prices


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

My AO Smith supplier just said they were raising 10% 4/1/2011.


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## Richard Hilliard (Apr 10, 2010)

They may be. That is why I called my suppliers to tell me how much they are jumping. I am sure they must apss on thier mark up. I wanted to know form the horses mouth how much for sure.


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## Phat Cat (Apr 1, 2009)

I called this a.m. Supplier was not positive, he said he thought it was 5%. We'll find out soon enough.


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

*Rheem heaters*

we bought a bunch of them two weeks ago just to have them in stock.... 

on average they will rise about 30 bucks a heater so its good we have the room to hoard them for a month or so...


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## Richard Hilliard (Apr 10, 2010)

Master Mark said:


> we bought a bunch of them two weeks ago just to have them in stock....
> 
> on average they will rise about 30 bucks a heater so its good we have the room to hoard them for a month or so...


 
I would love to live by your math Mark over 90 bucks on a hor.direct vent. solar almost 50 .30 and 40 electrics are about 30 bucks.


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## Mags (Mar 11, 2011)

*Water Heater price increase*

Just got word from my local supply house that as of the first of this month ( April ), All water heaters will increase by 10%. They said all the water heater company are doing it together. Just thought I'd through that out there. Its hard to keep up with current pricing when your qouteing jobs from memory. I'm up here Just north of Boston. I believe this increase would be nation wide.


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## Phat Cat (Apr 1, 2009)

Thanks for the timely update :whistling2:

http://www.plumbingzone.com/f22/price-increase-water-heaters-coming-13062/


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Ah the power of search....


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## ILPlumber (Jun 17, 2008)

Ah the power of merge.........

Hey! Did you guys hear Wh's are going up April 1st?


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## 1703 (Jul 21, 2009)

I've got one BW supplier saying ten percent.

I've got another BW supplier saying we dont know how much yet.

I've got a AO Smith supplier saying no increase right now.

I guess I'll know when I get the invoice.


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## Mags (Mar 11, 2011)

Sorry guys, Didnt see this thread when I Posted.
Anyways my AO Smith dealer said 10%.


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

*never needed a horizantal direct vent*



Richard Hilliard said:


> I would love to live by your math Mark over 90 bucks on a hor.direct vent. solar almost 50 .30 and 40 electrics are about 30 bucks.


 
We never even looked into what the price jump for a power vent would be.... we only get them when necessary..
but that is a pretty stiff increase for a power vent....

all I picked up were the standard 40 gas and 50 gas in Rheem... the cost savings appears to be about 30 per heater....

we did the same thing on a much larger scale back in 2003 with the change over to fvir heaters.... had a semi load of Rheem heaters dropped off .... filled the building to the gills with 150 of them....

buy them cheap and stack them deep....:laughing::laughing:


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