Water Heater Installation

We install and service all types of water heaters and we specialize in diagnosing the problem and determining the most cost-effective option for the customer. Sometimes a water heater can be repaired, but sometimes replacement is the best or only option. We will let you know what your options are and why.

Most water heaters last about 8-12 years depending on water quality, and service schedule. Signs that you need to repair or replace your water heater include:

• Water temperature is reduced
• Tank is leaking
• Water is discolored
• Decrease in water pressure
• Unusual noises when water is heating

Repair or replace: how age and warning signs decide it

The first thing we check is the age of the unit. The serial number on the label encodes the year it was built, and a heater that is past ten years old is usually not worth a major repair, because the tank itself is what wears out and the tank cannot be fixed. Water on the floor from the tank body, rust in the hot water, or a rumbling sound from sediment on the bottom of the tank are replacement signs at any age.

Southwest Florida shortens those numbers a little. Hard water leaves scale on the elements and a layer of sediment in the bottom of the tank, and the heaters that get an annual flush tend to last longer than the ones that never do. On Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, and the canal streets of Cape Coral, salt air corrodes the fittings, the pan, and the jacket of a garage heater faster than it would inland. If you are on a well in Lehigh Acres or Alva, iron and hardness are harder still on the tank and the anode rod.

Tank or tankless water heater for a Southwest Florida home

A standard 40 or 50 gallon electric tank is still the right answer for most homes here. It is simple, the parts are common, and our incoming water is warm most of the year, so recovery is quick. A tankless unit makes sense when space is tight, when a household runs out of hot water regularly, or when you want to stop heating a tank in a house that sits empty half the year.

Tankless is not a drop-in swap. An electric tankless heater that can serve a whole house draws far more current than a tank and often needs new circuits and, in some homes, a panel upgrade. A gas tankless heater needs a properly sized gas line and venting, and most homes in Lee and Collier County are all-electric. We size the unit to the fixtures you actually run at the same time and tell you plainly when a tank is the better choice.

Heat pump water heaters are a third option that fits this climate well. They pull heat from the surrounding air, and a hot, humid garage in Fort Myers gives them plenty to work with for most of the year. They need clearance around the unit and a condensate drain, and they run quieter than most people expect. In a garage that is closed up tight or a small utility closet, a heat pump unit may not have enough air, so placement is part of the conversation.

What a water heater installation involves here

Replacing a water heater is permitted work in Lee County and Collier County, and the installation is inspected. We pull the permit, install to current code, and schedule the inspection, so the paperwork is in order for a future sale or a 4-point insurance inspection. A heater installed without a permit is one of the items that comes up at closing.

Current code also changes what comes with the new heater. A drain pan with a line to the outside or to a drain is required where a leak would damage the house, which covers most garage, closet, and attic installations. An expansion tank is required on homes with a backflow preventer or a pressure reducing valve at the meter, because water heated in a closed system has nowhere to go as it expands, and the relief valve will drip until one is added.

• Old unit drained, disconnected, and hauled away.
• New heater set in a pan, plumbed, wired or piped, and strapped.
• Expansion tank and shutoff valves added where code calls for them.
• Tank filled and purged of air before the power goes on, which prevents a burned-out element on day one.
• Temperature set, relief valve checked, permit inspection scheduled.

What to expect on the visit

For a repair call, we test the elements and thermostats, check the relief valve, and look for the source of any water before recommending anything. If the answer is replacement, we tell you why and what the choices are. Most straightforward tank replacements are done in a single visit. Tankless and heat pump conversions take longer because of the electrical or venting work involved, and we tell you the schedule before we start.

Call Van Franey Plumbing at (239) 851-0207 to schedule a water heater repair or replacement, or use the request form on this page. A plumber answers 24/7.

When a water heater problem is an emergency

A tank that is leaking from the bottom will not stop, and a 50 gallon heater on a closet floor can soak drywall and flooring in an afternoon. Turn off the cold water supply at the valve above the heater, turn off the breaker for an electric unit or the gas valve for a gas unit, and call. No hot water on its own is not an emergency, but a relief valve that is discharging steadily, scorch marks, or a smell of gas at the unit are.

Call Van Franey Plumbing service at (239) 851-0207 to repair or replace your water heater

Learn more before you call

• How old is my water heater, and when should I replace it?
• My water heater is leaking from the bottom. What do I do right now?
• No hot water? Check these four things before you call
• Tankless or tank water heater: which is right for a Southwest Florida home?
• Expansion tanks: why your new water heater came with one

Common questions about water heaters