Out with the old, In with the new!

This past weekend my husband and I (mostly Chuck) replaced our water heater! I didn't know how bad the old one was until we pulled it out! Take a look at this! So gross! The top picture is of the lower heating element. It is so rusted that it is almost unrecognizable.
The lower picture is of the bottom of the water heater...again, all rusted out. I also took a picture of the upper heating element pulled out. It was too blurry and I got sidetracked so I didn't get a chance to take another one. It looked like something that has been on the bottom of the ocean for 100 years.

Since the spigot was all messed up, we were unable to drain it before we took it out. A 50 gallon water heater is very heavy, especially when full of water. It took Chuck, Eric, me, and a dolly to get it out the door that was, thankfully, right next to it. Then we pushed it over and let the water drain in the yard.

Next, was to install the new one. After our ritual of going to The Home Depot to get some things we needed ($45 later), the installation began. Chuck had to do some re-wiring because the new water heater is much shorter than the old one (it's still 50 gallons, just fatter). He put on the new pipes and wires. He then decide to have Rachael turn on the kitchen hot water before he finished attaching the top part of the copper pipe (don't ask why...I don't think he even knows). Water sprayed everywhere!!!! Caught us both off guard but we thought it was funny. Please keep in mind that this is the first water heater he has ever replaced in his life. He is not a plumber! Overall, he did a great job. We now have steaming hot water and I don't have to adjust my water temp in the shower every 2 minutes!

So here is the finished work. I am very greatful that Chuck can fix things.