Getting a Water Heater into Position

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Skeezix

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I am replacing my old water heater. It is mounted on a pedestal 28 inches from the floor.

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The new heater weighs around 160 pounds. Before I look around to find somebody who will help me lift it into position for probably at least $75 I thought I'd ask if there were any way I could get it up there by myself.
 
Looks like you have high ceilings there.

You could screw on some galvanized elbows or whatever to the top nipples.

Tie a rope or truck towing strap to them, then put a big screw eye or a pulley up on the ceiling, and hoist it up by the rope attached to the nipples, and swing it over to the platform.

Or use a come a long, or a winch, if one is handy.
 
I put my air compressor up about that high and close to the same weight. I put one of my truck ramps 2x10x10’ on an incline and then just pushed it up the incline.


I just got one down our basement stairs a few months ago but haven’t taken the old one out yet for the same reason you are having. It might just sit down there a really long time.


If you had a rope and pulley setup you could use the weight of the old one coming down to lift the new one going up.
 
I just borrow a neighbor. Split the weight in half, and easy peasy.
 
I just borrow a neighbor. Split the weight in half, and easy peasy.

:I agree:

The garage ceiling is around 11 feet, so the rope and pulley idea is out. And my neighbors are a bunch of unfriendly old farts (just like me :D) except for one and he works on an oil rig and so is not home most of the time. Looks like I'll have to pay a handyman to come over and help me lift it up.
 
I noticed that you hot water furnace is very close to the wall at the back and to the right hand side. did you check what clearance that is required. Normally it is written on one of the sides.
 
Is this in a garage? If so, and you have a pickup truck, it looks like about tailgate height. If you can get close to it.
 
Is this in a garage? If so, and you have a pickup truck, it looks like about tailgate height. If you can get close to it.
I didn't think of that. It will be tight but maybe it will work. I can only pull forwards into the garage and still get out of the truck.

I noticed that you hot water furnace is very close to the wall at the back and to the right hand side. did you check what clearance that is required. Normally it is written on one of the sides.
Yes, the heater meets the clearance requirements for my area.
 
I didn't think of that. It will be tight but maybe it will work. I can only pull forwards into the garage and still get out of the truck.
Anybody around who could back in and sit there until you and another old fart or 2 get the thing on the truck? Or see if there's a local guy with a truck who would do that and haul it away for a few bucks.
 
Thank God us neighbors take care of each other on these lifts. Also, on Trash day, we set it at the curb and our "metal man" who drives by on trash day gladly picks them u for us using his lift tailgate.
 
Try a pneumatic car jack. Set the heater on a square piece of wood for it's flat surface and once you jack it to the needed level, push it onto your platform.
 
I have been thinking about buying two ten-foot-long 2x4s and attaching them parallel to each other using other 2x4 scraps. The boards would be just far enough apart to allow the heater to lay between them. I would pick up and load the heater into my truck (with topper attached) so that the top of the heater goes toward the front of the truck.

Next, I would drive home, back the truck into the garage, lower the tailgate, place the 10-foot-long "rack" from the tailgate to the pedestal, unpack and roll the heater onto the rack, then shove it out of the truck and onto the pedestal. (The tailgate is about 5 inches higher than the pedestal.)

When the base of the heater is in position I would then lift up the top of the heater , push it all the way up and onto the pedestal, remove the rack and pull the truck back out of the garage.

Seems like a good way for a person that has to work alone. If somebody sees something wrong with this approach, please let me know...:thankyou:
 
I vote to just hire a helper.

Water heaters have delicate stuff sticking out from the sides.

And that whole operation sounds unstable and risky, for the water heater, for you, and for your garage.
 
I can already imagine the start of your story.

“Well, I wrecked the new heater.
But now, that is the least of my problems....”
 

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