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Tools on a job bench

Call sheet: new tank

Gas Water Heater Replacement in Whitby

Swapping a gas water heater is more than unhooking one and connecting another. Venting, gas, the relief valve line and the expansion tank all need to be right.

Talk to a plumber

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  • Licensed & insured trade work
  • Scope agreed before we start
  • Urgent calls triaged first

Signs you need this

  • Rusty or rotten-egg smelling hot water
  • Rumbling or popping from the tank
  • Water around the base pan
  • Showers going lukewarm halfway through

Kit on the van, and the method

  1. Combustion analyser and manometer for gas units
  2. Multimeter for elements and thermostats
  3. Drain hose and flush pump
  4. T&P valve, dielectric unions, venting parts

Before we leave: Fire the unit, check gas pressure or element draw, and time a full-temperature tap.

Choosing the replacement

The first question is how the old tank vents. A natural-draft tank sends exhaust up a metal flue into a chimney or B-vent. If the furnace was replaced with a high-efficiency unit that exhausts through the side of the house, the tank can end up the lone appliance in that chimney, which can cause poor draft and condensation. In that case a power-vented tank, which pushes exhaust through plastic pipe out a wall, is often the better choice.

Size comes next. Most Whitby family homes run a 40 or 50 US gallon tank. We ask about bathrooms, a soaker tub and the size of the morning shower queue, then recommend a size, rather than defaulting to whatever was there.

What the job involves

  1. Close gas and water, then empty the old heater into the floor drain.
  2. Disconnect gas, water and venting; carry the old tank out.
  3. Set the new tank level, on a pan where a finished floor needs protecting.
  4. Connect water with new flex connectors or hard pipe, and fit dielectric protection where metals meet.
  5. Pipe gas through a drip leg and a hand valve, and leak-test every joint.
  6. Install the vent to the manufacturer's specifications and confirm draft.
  7. Run the relief valve tube down so it ends just above the slab.
  8. Fill, purge air, light and set the temperature.
Field note. In Ontario, gas appliances may only be fitted by someone with the appropriate TSSA certificate. Ask anyone quoting a gas appliance about theirs.

Expansion tanks

Many Whitby homes have a check valve or backflow device at the meter. That makes the plumbing a closed system, so heated water has nowhere to expand. An expansion tank on the cold line absorbs that growth and spares the relief valve. If your house has one, we check its charge. If it should and does not, we explain why.

Rental or owned

With a rented heater, the rental firm has terms for its return and possibly a buyout. Check those terms before booking a replacement so you are not paying for two tanks. For comparing options, read tank versus tankless or see tankless installation.

Call (365) 376-9113