New water heater, etc.
 

The water heater in our cottage is original, the house was built in the late 50's, yes, late fifties. I know it's original because the kitchen cabinets were built around it. It is a 19 gallon 110v model, and quite frankly, I am starting to fear that it will soon give out and flood the house.
So, I am looking for a couple things. I would like to replace it with a 38 gallon 220v water heater and relocate it to my basement/crawlspace. There is about a 40" height where I would like it placed and some of the short models I can find are 30" high, so height is no problem. While I'm at it, I thought it would be a good time to replace the original copper with pex. The bathroom was redone last year, so we would need to replumb the kitchen and the lines to the washer. We would also need a new 220v circuit for the new water heater, there is plenty of room on the panel to do so.
Any recommendations as to who can do the job for a good honest reasonable rate who might be able to do the whole job and who would be reliable?
Oh, just one more thing, we are located in Meredith, off Rte 3 between Weirs and Meredith.

Plumbing and electrical are different codes and while there are a few one stop shops around, I don't know any off the top of my head.

The amount of electrical required is minimal, so I would look for a plumber first and then ask them who they would work with for the electrical. Then ask the plumber to handle the electricians billing, so they will have a vested interest in the quality of "their" subs work.

Do not allow the handyman down the street to do this project for you, unless they are licensed for both electrical and plumbing.

Marathon Heater?
 

You might call the NH Electric Co-op and see if they are still offering Marathon water heaters. I looked into it last year, and the price was less than the same unit retail. Instead of a metal tank, it is a type of plastic and is guaranteed for life never to leak. It is highly insulated and very energy efficient.

But they are much more expensive than a regular heater, and we opted for a Whirlpool heater from Lowes in Concord. It was the type of low-boy heater you need.

You might consider buying it yourself and just get the plumber to do the installation. I think that would be cheaper, but then if there's a problem with the heater unit itself, you own the problem.

Marathon Heater
 

The Marathon Heater may be made of plastic but it's weakest link is the metal connector to the house plumbing, it tends to corrode and need replacement. Why don't you look at the tankless heaters, you will save more money on the long run. You may be able to get an energy rebate to help pay for the additional cost.

If your 1950 water heater is still good, chances are you must be using lake water, its softness tends to be gentle on the pipes.

Checked out the Marathon, they are too tall to fit where I want to put it.
Not enough power for tankless, house service is 100 Amp

Water Heater
 

I've had Minuteman Plumbing do a number of jobs at our house, including installing a marathon water heater. NH Electric dropped the alliance with marathon. I'm sure Phil will guide you in the right direction. He was nice enough to offer me a slightly used hot water heater for free, but I wanted a larger capacity. Minuteman used JW Electric to install the water heater and since then I've had JW do some other work as well. Minuteman works out of the same building as J Costa Plumbing Supply I think. Joe Costa is another great source for plumbing help and is a hot ticket.