Plumbing Cost and Water Heater Prices
Most plumbing cost comes down to two things: hours of labor and the parts that wear out. Plumbers bill by the hour, and one part that wears out on a known schedule is the water heater.
Tank or tankless water heaters
A traditional tank water heater lasts about 8 to 12 years. A tankless unit costs more to put in and lasts longer, 15 to 20 years. Tankless units also need descaling, which tanks mostly do not.
Switching to tankless
The unit is only part of the bill. A gas tankless heater may need a larger gas line and new venting, and an electric whole-house model may need a new circuit or a bigger panel. The tankless water heater calculator works as a plumbing cost estimator for the conversion: choose the fuel, then turn on the work your house needs.
Comparing plumbing cost quotes
Note the age of the old heater from the label, its fuel and where it vents. A plumber can then quote a like-for-like swap or a conversion, and the two quotes can be compared on the same items: unit, labor, removal of the old tank and the permit.