My hot water heater went kaput recently — or so I thought. The pilot light went out and wouldn’t come back on. Being the novice home repair man that I am, I figured I might be in need of a whole new tank. There might have been a noticeable sweat line on my forehead just thinking about the costs that come along with that. Before jumping off the deep end I decided to turn to the trusty ol’ Internet first to gather a little insight.
A quick Google search revealed that the main culprit is often a little $8 part called the thermocouple. Sounds like it’s from the Jetsons, right? I called a plumber to see what they thought. They agreed with Google’s logic and told me they could replace it today for just $140. Once again, I got to thinking.
I hit up YouTube and did a search for replacing the thermocouple on your hot water heater. I found a few great videos. Then I went into the basement and found out that my particular hot water heater has a sealed compartment. So I performed another query and stumbled upon another video that detailed exactly how to replace this gadget in my specific scenario. A half hour later, with just a few more twists and turns than the handyman in the video, I had my new part installed.
And it worked! The YouTube video saved me big money. I can now shower again in peace. And with $132 still in my pocket. The age of the Internet truly is grand. Next time your water heater or something else in your house has a little problem, consider consulting YouTube before you call someone out for a repair visit and incur an expensive repair bill.
Consumer expert Clark Howard's column appears here each Thursday in conjunction with Deal Spotter, a weekly print section in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Find more answers to your consumer questions at Clark's website.
-- Clark Howard -- Save More, Spend Less, Avoid Rip-offs -- for the Atlanta Bargain Hunter blog
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