There is a manufacture date in the serial number on the label. If it is more than ten years old, you are on borrowed time. Water heater failures are not slow drips - the tank ruptures and releases forty to seventy-five gallons plus whatever the supply line keeps feeding it. Replacing one on your schedule costs a fraction of replacing one plus flooring, drywall and cabinetry on its schedule.
Tankless is excellent when the gas supply, venting path and your expected years in the home all line up. In many Los Angeles houses the gas line has to be upsized and new stainless venting has to be run, which adds two to four thousand dollars and erases the efficiency savings for a decade. We run the numbers for your specific house and tell you the truth. Roughly half the time we recommend a quality tank unit.
Standard forty to fifty gallon tank replacement generally runs $1,650 to $2,900 installed including permit, strapping, expansion tank and pan. Tankless conversion typically runs $4,200 to $8,500 depending on gas and venting work. We include the permit in the price rather than treating it as an extra.
Ten years for a tank unit is when we start recommending planned replacement. Twelve and you are gambling.
Yes, and it shows up on resale inspections when it is missing. We include it.
Usually same or next day on standard tank sizes.
Sometimes. We check your gas line size and venting path first and give you the real numbers, including the cases where it is not worth it.
