Water Heater Replacement in Montgomery & Prince George's, MD

Silver Spring, Bethesda, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Bowie, Upper Marlboro and the rest of both counties. Here the plumbing and gas permit comes from WSSC Water, not the county, and a gas water heater replacement needs one. Water from WSSC's Potomac plant is hard (154 mg/L on average in 2025). We price the heater, the permit and everything the install needs on one free, itemized estimate.

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Your itemized estimateFree, with every line priced before work starts
  1. The water heaterBrand, model, fuel and size, so you can compare quotes like for like
  2. Drain, disconnect and remove the old unitLabor for the swap
  3. Haul-awayThe old heater leaves with us
  4. Thermal expansion tankWhere your water system needs one
  5. Relief valve discharge pipeRun down to just above the floor
  6. Drain panWhere a leak would damage the room
  7. Gas shutoff and sediment trapGas units only
  8. Vent connectorChecked and replaced if it is undersized or corroded
  9. Water connectionsShutoff valve and connectors
  10. 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.

Montgomery and Prince George's at a glance: what affects your water heater

A WSSC permit for gas units, hard Potomac water in much of both counties, and mostly 1970s and 1980s houses.

Permit
WSSC Short Form permit for a gas water heater replacement; electric replacements are exempt from WSSC. See Maryland permits.Source: WSSC Plumbing and Fuel Gas Code (2021 edition)
Water
WSSC Water. Homes served by its Potomac plant got water averaging 154 mg/L hardness in 2025 (hard on the USGS scale); homes served by its Patuxent plant averaged 70 mg/L (moderately hard).Source: WSSC Water 2025 Tap Water Analysis Report; USGS hardness scale
Gas
Washington Gas in both counties; BGE serves some areas of Prince George's.Source: Washington Gas service territory
Housing
Montgomery: median home built in 1980; 65% owner-occupied; 53% heat with utility gas. Prince George's: median home built in 1977; 62% owner-occupied; 53% heat with utility gas.Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year (tables B25034, B25035, B25003, B25024, B25040)

What that means for a replacement here

Hard Potomac water settles as sediment in a tank and as scale in a tankless heat exchanger. A tankless unit here needs isolation valves so it can be flushed on a schedule, and they go on the estimate when they are missing.

Most houses in both counties were built before 1990. An older gas water heater often vents into a masonry chimney shared with the furnace; once the furnace has been replaced with a high-efficiency model, the water heater can be left alone in a chimney that is now too large for it. We look at the vent before we price the job, and a liner or vent change is its own line.

Maryland utilities run heat pump water heater rebates through EmPOWER Maryland, with deadlines at the end of 2026. Current amounts and dates are in our 2026 guide.

What a replacement includes

The heater, removal and haul-away of the old one, and whatever the house needs to run the new one safely and to code. Each numbered part is a numbered line on the estimate.

Parts of a gas tank water heater installationA gas storage water heater standing in a drain pan. Numbered parts: 1 the water heater, 4 the thermal expansion tank on the cold-water line, 5 the temperature and pressure relief valve and its discharge pipe ending just above the floor, 6 the drain pan, 7 the gas shutoff valve and sediment trap, 8 the vent connector, 9 the cold-water shutoff valve and water connections.
A gas tank install. 1 the heater, 4 expansion tank, 5 relief valve discharge, 6 drain pan, 7 gas shutoff and sediment trap, 8 vent connector, 9 water shutoff and connections.

Where in Montgomery and Prince George's

Montgomery County: Silver Spring, Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Potomac, Wheaton, Kensington, Olney and Takoma Park.

Prince George's County: Bowie, Upper Marlboro, Largo, Fort Washington, Clinton, Hyattsville, College Park, Greenbelt, Laurel and Lanham.

Bethesda is about 8 miles from our Arlington office and Silver Spring about 11; Bowie and Upper Marlboro are about 20.

Other areas we install in

ArlingtonOur home county. Hard water, older houses, a chimney vent check on gas units.AlexandriaCity or county address, hard water, Old Town and Parker-Gray vent rules.FairfaxFairfax County and the City of Fairfax: Reston, McLean, Vienna, Springfield, Chantilly.Falls ChurchCity fuel-gas permit, Washington Aqueduct water, mostly pre-1980 homes.Loudoun CountyAshburn, Sterling, Leesburg. Newer homes, two gas utilities, propane in the west.Prince William & ManassasWoodbridge, Dale City, Lake Ridge, Manassas, Gainesville. Mostly 1990s and 2000s homes.Washington, D.C.All eight wards. A DOB permit on every replacement; rowhouse access and vents.

Water heater questions from Montgomery and Prince George's homeowners

For a gas water heater, yes: WSSC Water issues the plumbing and gas permit in both counties, and a WSSC-licensed master plumber or gas fitter applies for it. WSSC exempts replacing an electric water heater, though the county may require an electrical permit.

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Tell us what you have now and what you want next. The estimate is free and itemized.

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