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First, unless the contract says otherwise, usable quantities or lengths of new material you specifically paid for (as opposed to as part of a lump sum job) that is not used on the job stays with you or you should be credited for, removed/demolished/defective material the contractor takes away and disposes of in whatever legal way he wishes.
This fix probably ran about $100-150 (roughly) for the relief valve replacement - expansion tank probably additional $100-200 unless he charged an additional $100 or so trip charge to come back to do that. More if in very high cost urban area.
The piece of pipe he took was almost certainly less than 8 feet long, assuming the tank is on an elevated platform in the garage. Worth about $14 new, maybe $2/lb as scrap. At 1/3 lb/LF you had maybe at most $5.50 in scrap copper. Assuming you could even find a place that would take that small a quantity of copper (and that it was in good enough shape to be taken as scrap tubing), after the gas to drive there and back you might breakeven on it, at the very best.
I am surprised he took it - might have been accumulating scrap copper, but it might have been corroded and plugged with lime deposits so did need scrapping as being cheaper than cleaning out. However, that was probably the case, because the new plastic pipe proba ly cost about $3-4, so I really don't think he was taking you for a ride. If he did, I would say the $1 or so he maybe gained is small fry in the course of a major remodel.
With the relief valve leaking one would normally assume the valve was bad, then the need for an expansion tank if it kept leaking. Of course, if he looked and saw there was a backflow preventer or pressure reducing valve inline on the water heater takeoff, or in the system on a small house or apartment, he probably should have realized it needed an expansion tank first, then if that did not work (but was needed anyway), replaced the relief valve.
However, if the valve had been bleeding off, it probably needed replacement anyway, because the valve seat would likely be eroded and corroded by that time, so it would likely have still dripped after the expansion tank was put in - maybe $10-20 valve, $5 or so piping, so would normally be replaced in this situation regardless to avoid a callback.
Answered 4 years ago
by LCD
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