Planning estimate · Q3 2026 pricing
Water heater replacement
A like-for-like tank swap is one of the cheapest jobs on this site. Converting to tankless is not, because it usually means new gas and new venting. Set the type below to see the difference.
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Hidden costs on water heater projects
These are included as allowances in the estimate above. Check that any contractor quote covers them too.
- New venting on a tankless conversion
- Gas line resizing for a tankless unit's higher flow
- Expansion tank, now required by many municipalities
- Drain pan and overflow routing
- Electrical work for a heat pump unit
- Removing a tank that no longer fits through the door it came in
Questions homeowners ask
- Why is tankless so much more than a tank?
- The unit itself is only part of it. A tankless heater burns much harder while it runs, so a first-time conversion usually needs a larger gas line and a new stainless venting run, and those two lines are often more than the price difference on the equipment. A tankless-to-tankless replacement later on is far cheaper, which is where the long-run saving shows up.
- Is a heat pump water heater worth it?
- It uses roughly a third of the electricity of a standard electric tank and attracts rebates in most provinces, so on electric heating it pays back reasonably fast. The catches are that it needs a reasonable volume of surrounding air to draw heat from, so a small sealed closet will not do, and it cools and dehumidifies the space it sits in, which is welcome in a basement and less so elsewhere.
- Do I need a permit to swap a water heater?
- For gas or electrical work, yes, and the estimate above adds a permit line whenever you select a gas or heat pump option. An electric tank swapped like for like is treated more leniently in some municipalities. Confirm with yours, because an uninspected gas appliance can affect an insurance claim.
- How long should a water heater last?
- A storage tank typically lasts 8 to 12 years, and a tankless unit 15 to 20 with descaling. If yours is over ten and you are already renovating nearby, replacing it while the space is open costs less than doing it as an emergency later, when you pay for urgency and have no time to compare quotes.
Typical schedule: Half a day for a tank swap, 1 to 2 days for a tankless conversion. See the full renovation timeline.