Water Heater Installation & Replacement
Tank, tankless and heat pump. One itemized price before any work starts, and we haul the old unit away.
★ 4.9 on Google · 59 reviews · Authorized Rinnai & Bradford White installer · Arlington, VA
Phones answered every day, 10 AM to 9 PM
- The water heaterBrand, model, fuel and size, so you can compare quotes like for like
- Drain, disconnect and remove the old unitLabor for the swap
- Haul-awayThe old heater leaves with us
- Thermal expansion tankWhere your water system needs one
- Relief valve discharge pipeRun down to just above the floor
- Drain panWhere a leak would damage the room
- Gas shutoff and sediment trapGas units only
- Vent connectorChecked and replaced if it is undersized or corroded
- Water connectionsShutoff valve and connectors
- Permit and inspectionWhere the job requires one
Lines your house does not need are left off, and each line that stays has its price beside it.
Tell us what you have now
Three facts let us price most replacements on the call: the fuel, the size and the age of your current water heater.
- Fuel: gas units have a gas pipe and a control knob near the bottom; electric units have a cable at the top and no flame.
- Size: the rating plate on the side of the tank lists the capacity in gallons, and the input in BTU/hr for gas or watts for electric.
- Age: the manufacture date is printed on the rating plate or coded in the serial number. A photo of the plate is enough; send it with the form and we will read it.
- Where it sits: basement, utility closet, garage or attic, and whether it vents into a chimney or through a wall.
What goes into the price
The price is the unit plus what the house needs to run it safely and to code. Every one of those items is a line on your estimate, so you can see what you are paying for.
The numbers on the drawing match the lines on the estimate. A like-for-like swap in a house whose venting, gas line and water lines are in good order needs few extra lines. An older house often needs more: an expansion tank where the water system is closed, a relief pipe brought down to the floor, a drain pan where a leak would reach a finished room, or a new vent connector.
The code basis, from the 2021 Virginia Residential Code: the relief valve pipe must end not more than 6 inches above the floor (P2804.6.1); an expansion tank is required where a check valve, backflow preventer or pressure-reducing valve closes the water system (P2903.4.2); and a tank sits in a pan where a leak would cause damage (P2801.6) (VRC chapter 28, chapter 29). Gas replacements also need a permit; see permits by jurisdiction.
Tell us the fuel, size and age of your current water heater when you call and we can say which lines apply before anyone visits.
Switching to tankless
A tank-to-tankless conversion is more than a swap: the gas line and meter must carry the unit at full fire, an indoor unit needs its own vent to the outside, and condensing models need a drain.
We install Rinnai tankless water heaters as an authorized installer, check each of those items on the site visit and list them on your itemized estimate.
Tank, tankless or 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 |
Water heater leaking?
Shut off the cold-water valve on the pipe above the heater, turn the gas control to Off or switch off the breaker, and catch the water. Then plan the replacement.
- Turn the cold-water valve on the inlet pipe above the heater to closed.
- Gas heater: turn the gas control knob to Off. Electric heater: switch off its breaker.
- Put a pan or towels under the leak and move anything that can be damaged.
- If you smell gas, leave the house and call your gas utility from outside.
A leak from the tank itself, not from a fitting, means the tank has failed and cannot be repaired. Call us with the size and fuel and we will price the replacement.
How a replacement works
- Call or send the form with what you have now: fuel, tank size and age.
- We look at the space, the gas or electrical hookup, the vent and the water lines.
- You get one free, itemized estimate, with the model named and every line priced.
- Install day: the old heater is drained, disconnected and hauled away, the new one is set, connected and tested.
- We show you the shutoff, the relief valve and how to drain or flush the new unit.
Shopping for a brand?
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.
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