Big deal you payed $344 for a new water heater and the timer. You could have spent all day and mayber another trying to do it yourself, do you have the tools and know how to solder? What if you made a mistake and the damn thing leaked for a day or two. Don’t listen to the cheapskates telling you what you should have done, they would fight over the cost of a washer. Now you have a warranty and can call somebody if something happens. No aggrevation, have a beverage of choice, you did the right thing.