An aging water heater. Plan the replacement before it decides for you.
The DOE puts a storage tank heater's life at 10 to 15 years. Replacing on your schedule costs standard rates. Replacing on a Sunday night when it lets go costs emergency rates plus a wet floor.
What is probably happening
- Rust colored hot water, rumbling as it heats, or a slow drip at the base are the usual warnings.
- The year is on the serial plate. Past 10 years, start pricing.
- Water heating is about 18 percent of a home's energy use, so efficiency matters when choosing.
Do this in the next five minutes
- Read the serial plate: brand, model, year, gallons, fuel.
- Decide tank or tankless with the DOE's numbers. Tankless is 8 to 34 percent more efficient and lasts about 20 years, but costs more up front and may need a bigger gas line or venting. Tank is cheaper to buy and lasts 10 to 15 years.
- Get two or three written quotes, each naming the model, gallons or flow rate, permit, haul away and warranty.
- Check whether a drain pan and a leak alarm are in the quote. They are cheap and they catch the failure early.
Do not
- Do not buy at an emergency rate what you can buy at a standard rate next week.
- Do not go tankless because a salesperson said it will pay for itself. Run the DOE's figures against your gas cost and how much hot water you use.
- Do not skip the permit. It is what checks the venting, the relief valve drain and the seismic strapping where required.
Who to call
A licensed plumber
This is a planned plumbing installation. There is no emergency premium to pay if you book it this month.
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What it should cost
$882 to $1,826 for a tank, $1,400 to $3,900 for tankless
Installed replacement, national range. Tank average $1,347. Gas units $700 to $2,700, electric $600 to $3,500
Source: Angi, water heater replacement cost, updated July 2026. View source
National published range, not a quote for your job. The full cost table for this trade is on the plumbing page.
Ask this contractor, on the phone, before anyone comes out
Tap each one as you ask it.
- What size or flow rate are you sizing for, and how did you calculate it?
- Does the price include the permit, inspection, haul away, a drain pan and an expansion tank if code needs one?
- What is the tank or heat exchanger warranty, and what is your labor warranty?
- If tankless, does my gas line and venting support it, and is any upgrade in the quote?
- Is this a standard rate job, with no after hours premium?
End the call if
- A quote with no model number.
- A tankless sold without checking the gas line size.
- No permit.