Water Heater Replacement
No hot water, or a tank on borrowed time? We replace it properly — strapped, vented and drained to current California code, with the permit handled and the old unit taken away.
Signs your tank is failing
A leaking tank is not repairable and gets worse quickly. Most of the others give you time to plan.
Water pooling around the base
A leaking tank cannot be repaired. Once the steel has corroded through, replacement is the only answer.
Rusty or brown hot water
Usually the tank lining failing or the anode rod long gone. Cold water running clear points at the heater.
Popping or rumbling
Water boiling under a layer of sediment. Common in LA, and a sign the tank is working far harder than it should.
Not enough hot water
Either sediment has stolen the tank capacity, or a heating element or thermostat has failed.
Over about twelve years old
Past that point you are on borrowed time. Planning a replacement beats an emergency one on a Sunday.
No strapping visible
California requires water heaters to be braced against earthquakes. Worth correcting whether or not you replace.
Your water heater is a large battery
That is not a metaphor. Water conducts electricity, and a water heater is built from several different metals — a mild steel tank, copper elements, and fittings that may be brass, steel, galvanised or plastic.
Put dissimilar metals in a conductive liquid and small electrical currents flow between them. The metal the current flows from corrodes. This is galvanic corrosion, and left unchecked it eats the tank from the inside.
This matters more in Los Angeles than in most places, because high concentrations of dissolved minerals increase how well water conducts — and our water carries plenty. The same hardness that leaves scale on your fixtures is also accelerating the electrochemistry inside your tank.
The two defences your tank has
The glass lining
The inside of the tank is coated in glass — sprayed on as a liquid, dried at around 300°F, then fired at roughly 1,600°F to fuse it to the steel. It is excellent protection, but it cannot cover everything. Small unprotected areas remain, particularly inside fittings welded to the tank.
The anode rod
A rod of aluminium or magnesium, deliberately more reactive than the tank. Current flows from it instead of from the steel, so the rod corrodes and your tank does not. It is a sacrificial part, which means it has a finite life and is meant to be replaced.
Here is the part almost nobody is told: once the anode rod is gone, the tank starts corroding instead. A rod costs a fraction of a water heater and is the single most effective thing you can do to extend one — yet the overwhelming majority are never inspected once in the appliance's life.
There is a third defence worth knowing about in older properties. Dielectric connections break the electrical circuit between the tank and your household pipework. They matter most in homes plumbed in galvanised steel, which describes a great deal of older Los Angeles housing. Newer copper and plastic systems are less vulnerable.
What a replacement includes
A water heater replacement is not simply swapping one cylinder for another. Several things get brought to current code at the same time, and an inspector checks them.
A notably cheap quote usually means some of this list is missing.
- ✓ New heater sized to your household
- ✓ Seismic strapping to California code
- ✓ Expansion tank where the supply requires one
- ✓ Drain pan and drain line where the location requires it
- ✓ Correct venting and combustion air on gas units
- ✓ New flexible connectors and shutoff valve
- ✓ Old unit drained, removed and disposed
- ✓ Permit and inspection handled
Why a swap is not just a swap here
California asks more of a water heater installation than most states, and a replacement has to meet the code in force today rather than whatever applied when the old one went in.
Water heaters must be braced, anchored or strapped so they cannot topple in an earthquake. A toppled gas heater is both a flood and a gas leak, which is why this one is not negotiable.
If a check valve or pressure regulator sits on your supply, heated water cannot expand back into the main. An expansion tank gives it somewhere to go instead of cycling pressure through your fixtures.
Any heater installed above finished living space needs a pan and a drain routed somewhere sensible. This is the item most often skipped, and the one that turns an ordinary failure into a ceiling replacement.
A gas heater needs adequate combustion air and a correctly sized vent. Closets, garages and converted spaces are where this most often goes wrong, and the consequence is combustion products indoors.
We pull the permit and the inspector verifies all of it. That matters beyond compliance — unpermitted work on gas appliances is exactly what an insurer looks for when something goes wrong.
While the old one is coming out
The labour overlaps, so this is the cheapest moment you will ever have to change type. Worth at least knowing what the alternatives cost.
Before you replace like for like
The labour overlaps, so this is the moment to know what the alternatives actually cost to run.
How Long Should a Water Heater Last in Los Angeles?
The full chain from hard water to a leaking tank, and why softening your water makes the anode rod matter more.
Read the article →Heat Pump vs. Gas Water Heaters: Which is Right for Your Home?
What you save, what you give up, and which homes each type genuinely suits.
Read the article →Heat Pump vs. Gas Furnace: Which Is Right for a Los Angeles Home?
Which one actually makes sense in a Los Angeles climate, and what the running costs really look like.
Read the article →Water Heater FAQs
How long does a water heater last in Los Angeles?
Typically less than the rated life, because local water hardness accelerates sediment build-up inside the tank. Annual flushing genuinely extends it. Past about twelve years you are on borrowed time, and planning a replacement is cheaper and far less disruptive than reacting to a failure.
My water heater is leaking. Can it be repaired?
If the tank itself is leaking, no. Once the steel has corroded through there is no repair, and the leak only gets worse. Leaks at fittings, valves or connections above the tank are a different matter and often are repairable.
Why does my water heater make popping noises?
Sediment has collected on the bottom of the tank and water is boiling underneath it. It is extremely common in Los Angeles given the water here. It also means the burner is heating sediment rather than water, which shortens the tank's life.
Do water heaters have to be strapped in California?
Yes. California requires water heaters to be braced, anchored or strapped so they cannot topple during an earthquake, and an inspector checks it. Missing strapping is among the most common findings when a property changes hands, and a toppled gas heater means both a flood and a gas leak.
What is an expansion tank and do I need one?
Water expands as it heats. If a check valve or pressure regulator prevents that expansion returning to the main, pressure has nowhere to go and cycles against every fixture in the house. An expansion tank absorbs it, and code requires one in that situation.
Do I need a permit to replace a water heater?
Yes, and we pull it as part of the job. A replacement must meet current code, which usually means strapping, expansion control, and correct venting and drainage. Unpermitted work causes real difficulty at resale and can complicate an insurance claim.
Should I replace like for like or switch types?
Worth at least considering the alternatives while the old one is coming out, because the labour overlaps. A heat pump model is far cheaper to run if you have the space, and tankless suits households that keep running out of hot water.
What is an anode rod and does mine need replacing?
A sacrificial rod of aluminium or magnesium that corrodes so your tank does not. It has a finite life, and once it is gone the tank starts corroding instead. Most are never inspected once, which is why so many heaters fail early.
How much do water heater straps cost to fit?
Very little compared with the rest of the job, and we include them on every replacement. If your existing heater is unstrapped we can fit bracing on its own without replacing the unit, which is worth doing before an inspection or a sale rather than after.
How long does a replacement take?
A straightforward like-for-like swap is usually a few hours. It takes longer where the location needs bringing up to code, where venting has to change, or where a pan and drain line have to be added that were never there before.
No hot water? Call us
Tell us the age, the size and where it sits. If it is leaking, say so when you call.