A tankless water heater heats water as it flows through, so it doesn’t keep 40 or 50 gallons hot around the clock. That means you don’t run out of hot water halfway through the third shower, and you get back the floor space a tank takes up. For a lot of families it’s a great upgrade. For others, a good tank heater is the smarter buy. We’ll help you figure out which group you’re in.
When tankless makes sense
Tankless tends to be a good fit if your family runs out of hot water often, you’re planning to stay in the house a long time, you want to free up space in a closet or garage, or your tank heater is due for replacement anyway. Commercial customers with steady hot water demand also do well with several units linked together, like the bank of heaters in the photo above.
It may not be the best choice if you’re selling the house soon, your gas supply would need a major upgrade, or you’d rather not keep up with yearly maintenance. We’ll lay out the costs both ways so you can decide.
The details that make or break a tankless install
Most tankless problems come from the install rather than the unit. The heater has to be sized for how many fixtures run at once. Gas models need a gas line and meter big enough to feed them at full fire. The venting has to match the manufacturer’s specs. And there should be service valves on the water lines so the unit can be flushed without cutting into pipe. We check every one of those before we give you a price.
Hard water and tankless heaters
San Antonio water is hard, and the heat exchanger inside a tankless unit is where those minerals like to collect. Scale buildup makes the unit work harder, throws error codes and can shorten its life. A yearly descaling takes care of it, and a water softener protects the heater between service visits. If you’d like us to handle it, just call to schedule a descaling.
Prices and what to expect
We install tank and tankless water heaters from brands including Rheem, Navien and other manufacturers. Tankless pricing takes an on-site evaluation, because the price depends on the unit you choose, whether it’s electric or gas, your existing connections, venting requirements, how easy the install spot is to reach, and any repairs or changes needed to finish the job. You’ll get a firm price before any work begins.
If you’d rather stay with a tank, our posted prices for water heater replacement are on the prices page.