Water heater replacement in Northern Virginia
Tank, tankless and heat pump water heaters, installed by an Arlington-based team that is an authorized Rinnai and Bradford White installer. Tell us what you have now and you get one free estimate with every line priced, and the old unit hauled away.
★ 4.9 on Google from 59 reviews · Authorized Rinnai & Bradford White installer · Arlington, VA
- 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.
Tank, tankless or heat pump?
A new tank is the simplest like-for-like replacement. Tankless gives continuous hot water but needs gas capacity, a vent and a drain. A heat pump is the most efficient electric option and needs a roomy space that stays above 40°F.
| 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 |
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: often an expansion tank, relief valve piping, a drain pan, a gas sediment trap and a vent connector.
Each numbered part on the drawing is a numbered line on the estimate. Lines your house does not need are left off, so two quotes can be compared line by line.
Three of those lines come straight from the 2021 Virginia Residential Code: relief valve piping that ends within 6 inches of the floor (P2804.6.1), an expansion tank where the water system is closed by a check valve or pressure-reducing valve (P2903.4.2), and a drain pan where a leak would cause damage (P2801.6). A gas replacement also needs a permit everywhere in Virginia; see permits by jurisdiction.
Where we install
Northern Virginia, from our base at 1104D N Quincy St in Arlington. Each area page lists the local permit office, the water supplier and its hardness, and what both mean for your water heater.
When to replace instead of waiting
Plan a replacement when the tank is 10 to 15 years old, leaks from the tank body, gives rusty hot water, or rumbles as it heats.
- Age: the U.S. Department of Energy gives storage water heaters a life of 10 to 15 years (DOE).
- Water seeping from the tank itself, not from a fitting: the lining has failed.
- Rust-coloured hot water while the cold runs clear.
- Rumbling or popping as it heats: heavy sediment, which hard water speeds up.
- Running out of hot water much sooner than it used to.
Replacing on your schedule means choosing the unit and the day, rather than taking whatever is available after a failure.
How it works
- Call or send the form with what you have now: fuel, tank size and age. A photo of the rating plate is enough.
- 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.
Water heater services
- Tank water heater replacement and installation
- Tankless water heater installation and conversions
- Heat pump water heater installation
- Rinnai tankless (authorized installer)
- Bradford White (authorized installer)
- Water heater not working? Repair or replace
- Guide: water heater permits by jurisdiction
- Guide: water heater rules and incentives in 2026
- Guide: tankless vs tank
- Guide: when to replace a water heater
- Guide: what a water heater installation costs
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.
Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church and Loudoun