Tankless Water Heater Installation
Switch from a tank to a Rinnai tankless, sized for your home. One itemized price before any work starts, and the old tank hauled away.
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- The tankless unitModel, gas input and flow rate, sized to the taps you run at once
- Gas line and meter checkAn upgrade is its own line if the current pipe cannot carry the unit
- Vent kit and wall penetrationIndoor units vent to the outside
- Condensate drain and neutralizerCondensing models
- Isolation valvesSo the unit can be flushed
- Electrical outletThe unit needs power for its controls and fan
- Remove and haul away the old tankDrained and taken with us
- Permit and inspectionWhere the job requires one
We check the gas line, vent route and drain on the site visit, before we price the job.
Is tankless right for your home?
Tankless fits when the house can supply enough gas, an indoor unit can vent to the outside, and you want hot water that does not run out within the unit's flow rating.
We check four things on the site visit:
- Gas supply: the line and meter must carry the unit at full fire, which is far more than a tank draws.
- Venting: an indoor unit needs its own vent to the outside. In a local historic district, a vent on a street-facing wall can need review, so we look for a route that avoids the front.
- Hot water use: units are sized by flow rate, for the showers and taps you run at the same time.
- Water: hard water means the unit needs flushing on a schedule.
When a new tank or a heat pump is the better choice for your home, we will tell you.
What goes into a tankless conversion price
The unit, plus the gas, vent, drain, valves and power a tankless needs. Each is its own line on the estimate.
The gas line is the item that moves the price most. A gas tank draws roughly 30,000 to 50,000 BTU/hr; a whole-house tankless can draw several times that at full fire, so the pipe from the meter is checked against the unit before it is quoted.
Sizing a tankless unit
A tankless unit is sized by flow rate (gallons per minute) at the temperature rise your incoming water needs, not by gallons stored.
Count the fixtures you run at the same time: two showers and the kitchen tap is a common peak. The colder the water entering the house, the more the unit has to raise it, and the lower its flow at that rise, which is why winter is the test. We size to your peak use in January, not in July.
Efficiency: the U.S. Department of Energy finds tankless units 24 to 34% more efficient than a tank in homes that use 41 gallons of hot water a day or less, with a life expectancy of more than 20 years (DOE).
How a tank-to-tankless conversion works
- Call or send the form.
- Site check: gas meter and line, vent route, water lines and power.
- Itemized estimate, with every line priced.
- Install day: the old tank is drained, removed and hauled away; the unit is mounted; gas, vent and water are connected and tested.
- Walkthrough: how and when to flush the unit.
Rinnai, Navien, Noritz, Takagi, Rheem
We are an authorized installer for Rinnai tankless and Bradford White tank water heaters.
Looking at Navien, Noritz, Takagi, Rheem or A.O. Smith? Tell us the model and we will tell you on the call whether we install it or which Rinnai or Bradford White unit matches it.
Tankless against a tank or a heat pump
| Tank | Tankless | Heat pump | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it heats | Keeps a tank of water hot, gas or electric | Heats water as it flows, no tank | Moves heat from the air into a tank |
| Runs out? | When the tank is used up, then it recovers | Not within its flow rating | Can recover slower than a gas tank in heavy use |
| Efficiency | The baseline | 24 to 34% more efficient than a tank in homes using 41 gallons a day or less (DOE) | 2 to 3 times more efficient than an electric resistance tank (DOE) |
| Typical life | 10 to 15 years (DOE) | More than 20 years (DOE) | Depends on model and upkeep |
| What the house needs | Floor space; a vent for gas | Enough gas supply, its own vent, a drain for condensing models | About 1,000 cubic feet of air at 40 to 90°F (DOE), a drain, a matching circuit |
| Install cost | Lowest for a like-for-like swap | Higher: a conversion adds gas, vent and drain work | Higher than a tank; depends on the space and circuit |
Where we install
Northern Virginia, Washington D.C., and Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland, from our base in Arlington. Each area page lists the local permit office, water supplier and what they mean for your water heater.
Questions homeowners ask
Get an itemized water heater estimate
Tell us what you have now and what you want next. The estimate is free and itemized.
Phones answered every day, 10 AM to 9 PM
Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church and Loudoun