Repairing a tank heater
A tank heater that has lost its heat, leaks from a valve or makes noise may be repairable instead of needing replacement. We start from the symptom you describe.
Water Heater Repair and Installation in Chula Vista
Whether your heater has stopped warming water, drips at the base or is due to be replaced, we handle tank and tankless units. Call, name the problem and the brand if you know it, and we go from there.
Chula Vista’s utility permit list starts with the water heater and its vent, and it applies whether you install, replace or relocate one. The sections below explain what that means for the job.
Water heater jobs we take on
Replacing a tank
Replacement means draining the old tank, connecting a new one to the water, gas or electric supply and the vent, and checking that everything works.
Switching to tankless
A tankless heater produces hot water only as it flows, with nothing stored. Changing over calls for new venting or electrical work and a connection sized to the unit, which we plan with you.
Moving or adding a heater
A heater can be moved to a garage wall, a closet or a utility room, or a second one can be added. Each change brings new pipe runs and a new vent path.
Water heater permits in Chula Vista
The City lists a water heater and its vent among the items that need a utility permit to install, repair, upgrade, reset, replace or relocate. Chula Vista also lets licensed contractors with an active City business license obtain certain minor residential utility permits online.
Who may install one
Check the contractor’s license with the Contractors State License Board before you hire. A C-36 Plumbing Contractor license covers installing equipment that heats water.
Earthquake straps
To keep a heater from shifting in an earthquake, the State requires it to be supported and strapped. Under the plumbing code that means two supports, placed in the upper and lower thirds of the tank.
Choosing the right size
A tank is sized to the busiest hour in the house, not to the day as a whole. The water heater size calculator takes your household and its hot-water habits and returns a tank range, and the tankless flow calculator does the same for a unit that heats on demand.
How old is the heater?
Turn to the data plate on the tank, where the serial number carries the year the heater was built. The serial number decoder reads that number once you choose the brand, so repair or replacement can be weighed with its age in hand.
A wet floor by a heater can come from a nearby pipe instead of the tank. The leak detection and repiping pages explain how those are handled, and the home page lists what else we do.
Call for a free plumbing quote
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