Repairing the heater you have
A sound heater with one failed part, such as a thermostat, an element or a gas control, can be repaired rather than replaced. The plumber you hire tells you which way makes sense.
Water Heater Repair and Installation in Portland
When the hot water runs out early, turns rusty or stops altogether, the heater needs a look. We connect you with a local plumber who repairs it, replaces it like for like or fits a different kind.
Tank and tankless, gas and electric heaters are all covered, in houses and townhouses across Portland.
Repair, replace or change the type
A new heater of the same kind
Replacing a worn-out tank with a new one on the same fuel uses the same gas or electric supply as before. Size still matters, and the calculator further down helps you think it through.
Changing from gas to electric, or back
Changing the fuel changes the connections the heater needs. In Portland it also changes which permits the job needs, as set out below.
A tankless heater
On-demand tankless models heat as the tap opens, which is why their size depends on the gallons per minute through every fixture open together. For a Portland house, the tankless flow calculator gives you that figure.
Permits for a replacement heater
Oregon law exempts some ordinary minor repairs by licensed plumbing contractors, or by people the licensing law itself exempts, from permits and inspections, but that exemption may not include new construction, water heater replacement or underground plumbing. A new heater in place of an old one is permit work.
Portland Permitting & Development spells out what each kind of swap takes. An in-kind replacement, such as gas to gas, needs a plumbing permit. A new gas heater, or a change from electric to gas, needs a mechanical permit and a plumbing permit. A new electric heater, or a change from gas to electric, needs an electrical permit and a plumbing permit.
Choosing the size
Picking a tank comes down to your household’s heaviest hour of hot water use, the morning rush of showers and a dishwasher, say.
Count the people at home and the hot-water jobs that pile up at peak time, morning showers on top of a load of laundry, and the water heater size calculator proposes a tank to raise with your plumber.
Finding the age of your heater
Makers hide a heater’s build date inside the serial number stamped on its label, and every brand uses its own code. Paste yours into the serial number decoder, which knows the main brands, and it hands back a year.
Two other services pair well with a heater job, leak detection for damp drywall near the utility room and repiping for old supply lines that feed the heater. Everything else sits on the homepage.
Call for a free plumbing estimate
Call us to discuss your current issue and how we can assist you. The call is free and you get a free, personalized estimate with no obligation. We're here to help.
Call (855) 321-3426