Water Heater Replacement and Installation in Phoenix

Replace it when the tank itself leaks. Water seeping from the body of the tank means the steel inside has rusted through, and there is no patch for that. A dripping relief valve, a loose drain valve or condensation can look like a tank leak, so dry the area and check before you decide; see a water heater leaking from the bottom.

Age is the next signal. Tanks commonly last somewhere around 8 to 12 years, and Phoenix's hard water tends to push them toward the short end. A unit near that age that starts acting up is usually a better place to spend money on a new heater than on parts. The third signal is repeat repairs on the same unit. Our page on whether to repair or replace a water heater walks through the call, and signs a water heater is about to fail lists what to watch for.

If the problem is one part on a younger heater, we fix it instead. That work lives on our water heater repair page.

Most replacements are like for like: the same fuel, about the same size, in the same spot. That is the simplest job and, in Phoenix, the one that needs no permit when a licensed contractor does it.

It is also the moment to fix a heater that never fit the house. Size by your busiest hour of hot water, not by the gallons on the old label. The number that matters on a tank is its first hour rating, and a newer, smaller tank can sometimes keep up with an older, larger one. See what size water heater you need and replacing a water heater with a smaller tank.

Switching to tankless is a bigger change. Rinnai and Navien are the two tankless brands we see most in Phoenix homes, and in our experience a gas unit near 199,000 BTU per hour covers most of them. A unit that size often needs a larger gas line than the old tank had, its own venting, and either an outdoor spot on an exterior wall or an indoor spot with enough combustion air. We check all of that before we give you a price. Read tank vs tankless for a Phoenix home, the downsides of tankless water heaters and whether a tankless heater should go inside or outside.

A replacement is more than setting a new tank where the old one stood. Here is what we do on a gas tank swap in a Phoenix garage:

• Old heater out. Gas and water shut off, the tank drained and disconnected, and the gas line capped until the new one is connected.
• Up off the floor. The new heater goes on a water heater stand or on the built-in pad many Valley garages have, so the burner sits at least 18 inches above the floor.
• Venting that fits the new heater. Where the vent passes through a ceiling or wall we run Type B double-wall vent with a 1-inch air space to the drywall, and we keep the flue and the top of the heater clear.
• A relief line that only runs downhill. We pipe the temperature and pressure relief line in hard copper on a steady downward slope, never uphill and never in PVC.
• Pressure control. If the house has a pressure-reducing valve or a check valve, heated water has nowhere to go, so the new heater gets thermal expansion control. See do I need an expansion tank.
• Started and checked. Gas connections leak tested, the burner lit and drafting, the temperature set and the relief valve checked, and we walk you through what we did.

The step-by-step detail on gas tank and tankless installs is on our water heater service page.

Phoenix's building code lists the in-kind replacement of a water heater in a house or duplex, done by a licensed contractor, as work exempt from a permit. In kind is the key phrase. Changing from tank to tankless, gas to electric, or moving the heater to a new spot is no longer a simple swap and goes back to needing a permit. So does a homeowner doing the swap, and any heater in a fourplex or a business.

Other Valley cities draw the line in different places. Scottsdale, for one, lists water heater replacement as permit work. The details are in do you need a permit to replace a water heater in Phoenix and which Valley cities require a water heater permit.

We give the price at the free estimate, before any work starts, because the job sets it. The main factors:

• Type and size. Tank, tankless or heat pump, and the capacity the household needs.
• Fuel and hookups. Whether the gas line, vent, power and water connections can be reused or need changes. Tankless conversions usually need the most.
• Code items the old install was missing. A stand or pad, Type B vent, a copper relief line, an expansion tank or a drain pan.
• Location and access. A garage swap is a different job from a closet, attic or tight mechanical room.
• Permit. Only when the job is more than an in-kind swap.
• Timing. A scheduled replacement costs less to set up than an after-hours one with water on the floor.

Old tanks are scrap metal and should be recycled, not left in an alley or the trash bin. Phoenix takes water heaters through its appliance recycling program. Ask about removal when you book, and see how to dispose of an old water heater for the city options.

A landlord or property manager replacing a heater in a fourplex, an apartment or a commercial suite needs a permit in Phoenix, and commercial heaters follow different sizing and code rules. See who replaces a water heater in a leased commercial space, commercial vs residential water heaters and commercial plumbing.

Call with the heater's age if you know it, whether it is gas or electric, where it sits, and whether it is leaking. If it is leaking now, shut off the water supply to the heater first; here is how to shut off a leaking water heater. We offer 24/7 emergency service, free estimates and upfront pricing before work starts.