San Francisco water heater repair & replacement
San Francisco has more water heater repair & replacement shops than the local search results show. We're the one without the marketing budget — but the one your neighbors actually call back. Family-run, second-generation if you count my dad. We've watched fifteen national "plumbing chains" come and go in San Francisco and we're still here.
The actual work
Water heaters last 8 to 12 years on average — less in hard-water regions, more if the anode rod gets replaced every 4 years. Most calls come at end-of-life when the tank starts leaking from the bottom seam.
When the tank goes, swap it. Repair on a 10-year-old tank that's leaking is throwing money away. We carry standard 40 and 50 gallon gas and electric tanks on our trucks for same-day install. Tankless replacements take 1–2 days because of the gas-line and venting work.
If you've a tankless unit and you're getting cold-water sandwich (hot for 30 seconds, cold for 10, hot again), it's almost always scale buildup in the heat exchanger. Annual descaling fixes it — $225 to $380 — and is required by the manufacturer to keep your warranty valid.
Brand-wise, we install whatever you want. Defaults we keep stocked: Rheem and AO Smith for tank, Rinnai and Navien for tankless. Bradford White on commercial.
Ballpark numbers
For water heater repair & replacement jobs in the San Francisco area:
- Gas tank water heater 40–50 gal install: $1,690 – $2,625
- Electric tank water heater 40–50 gal install: $1,440 – $2,375
- Gas tankless install (whole-home): $4,250 – $6,000
- Annual tankless descaling: $280 – $475
- T&P valve replacement: $230 – $350
- Anode rod replacement: $350 – $550
Local context for San Francisco
Most weeks we run 12–18 calls inside San Francisco alone. Different houses, similar fixes — we've seen yours before.