HOME HANDYMAN
Garage door opener may best be junked

By Glenn Haege

Q: My father bought me a Sears garage door opener 10 years ago, and it has stopped functioning.

I would call a professional, but just a service call will cost more than $100. What should I do?

A: It may not be worth investing in repair at this point.

Save yourself time, money and aggravation by buying and installing a simple replacement for about $150, or by calling a garage door specialist and having a better model installed for about $300.

Q: I am planning to replace my old 30-gallon gas water heater and would like your advice on a tankless system. I've found that the unit sold by Bosch has been around for a number of years and has a good track record for reliability.

Are there any U.S. companies that offer a similar product?

A: The Bosch AquaStar unit that could supply an entire house would wind up costing you about $2,000. The biggest competitors are Japanese companies. Pricing is similar.

If you get a traditional water heater, you will need a 40-gallon unit to give the same amount of hot water that your old 30-gallon water heater produced.

I would probably get a top of the line, rapid-recovery 40-gallon water heater with a 40,000 BTU burner, which sells for around $300.

Reach Glenn Haege at editor@flashcom.net. See www.masterhandyman.com. Volume prohibits personal replies.