Plumbing & Water Heaters
Water Heater Repair & Replacement in San Francisco
Water heaters are one of the calls we get most, and one of the few where speed genuinely matters. A failed tank is cold showers today and a flooded garage tomorrow. We diagnose, repair where a repair will hold, and replace where it will not.
When to call
- Water pooling around the base of the tank
- Hot water runs out far sooner than it used to
- Rusty or discolored hot water
- Banging or rumbling from the tank
- The pilot will not stay lit
- The unit is over ten years old
What the job involves
Repair
- Diagnosis and fault finding
- Thermocouple and pilot assembly
- Thermostat and heating elements
- Valve and fitting replacement
- Flushing and sediment removal
Replacement
- Gas and electric units
- Removal and disposal of the old tank
- New supply lines, valves and venting
- Seismic strapping
- Sizing to the household rather than to the old unit
Repair or replace: the honest version
A repair on a tank near the end of its life is money you spend twice. Past about ten years, on a unit that is already leaking from the body rather than a fitting, we will tell you to replace it, and we will tell you the opposite just as readily when the fault is a thirty-dollar part. One of our clients came to us after another vendor quoted three times what the job was worth; it was fixed for a fraction of it.
Common questions
Can you replace it the same day?
Often, yes. It is the kind of job we try hardest to turn around quickly, because a household without hot water cannot really wait. Call rather than using the form; it is much faster for anything urgent.
Should I switch to tankless?
Sometimes. Tankless saves space and standing heat loss, but it usually needs gas line and venting changes that add real cost to the install. We will price both against your actual setup rather than telling you one is always better.
Does seismic strapping matter here?
Yes. California requires water heaters to be strapped, and in this region it is not a formality. Any tank we install is strapped as part of the job.
Do you charge for an estimate?
No. We come out, look at the actual job, and quote it. That free visit is how we price everything. Pricing a job properly usually means seeing it, which is why we do not give firm numbers over the phone.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. California contractor license #1132115. You can look it up on the CSLB website with that number.
Need water heater repair & replacement?
Call and describe the job, or send a few details and we will come out and price it.