Cities We Serve
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Water Heater Installation
Most Replacements Start With a Puddle
Very few people replace a water heater on a schedule. The tank rusts through, the garage or the attic pan fills up, and suddenly it is a decision you are making today. That is fine. Radiant keeps common tank sizes and the parts to install them stocked, and we work 24/7, so a failed heater on a Saturday night does not mean a cold week. What you should not have to accept in a hurry is a heater that is the wrong size, a vent that is not right, or a price that grows after the truck arrives.
Our licensed plumbers size the replacement to your household rather than copying whatever the builder put in, install it to current code, pull the permit that Texas requires for a water heater replacement, and haul the old unit off. If you have been thinking about going tankless, we will price both and explain the difference without a sales pitch. And if the old tank is only a few years old and the problem is a part, we will tell you that a repair is the better buy.
Every install is backed by the Home Comfort Guarantee, and financing is available through Service Finance Company, subject to credit approval.
Looking for your local team? See water heater replacement in Austin or water heater replacement in San Antonio.
- Sized for the household Bathrooms, people, and how you use hot water decide the tank size and recovery rate, not the sticker on the old unit.
- Permitted and to code Relief valve piped correctly, drain pan where required, seismic strapping, venting and gas connections done the way an inspector expects.
- Home Comfort Guarantee An accurate quote before work begins, no hidden fees, and a 10% inconvenience refund up to $1,000 if we cannot resolve the issue.
Time for a New One?
Signs Your Water Heater Is Done
Some of these are repairs. A tank that is leaking from the tank itself is not.
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Water at the base of the tank
If the water is coming from the tank body rather than a fitting or valve, the steel has rusted through. There is no patch for that.
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Past ten years and never serviced
In Central Texas water, an unflushed tank at that age is running on borrowed time. Replacing on your schedule beats replacing on its.
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Rusty hot water
Brown or rust-tinted water from the hot side only points at corrosion inside the tank, usually after the anode rod is spent.
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Rumbling, popping or banging
A thick sediment layer boiling water underneath it. A flush can help early on; once it is caked solid, the tank is overworking to its death.
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The second repair this year
When parts keep failing on an older unit, the repair money is better spent on a new heater with a warranty.
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The house outgrew the tank
Two more people or a new soaking tub, and a 40-gallon heater that was fine is now running out every morning.
What We Install
Tank, Tankless, Gas or Electric
Whatever the house has now and whatever makes sense next.
- Gas tank water heaters Atmospheric and power-vent units, with the gas connection, flue and combustion air checked, not assumed.
- Electric tank water heaters Standard and high-recovery units, wired to a properly sized circuit.
- Tankless conversions Upgrading the gas line, venting and condensate drain a tankless unit needs, not just hanging the box.
- Attic and closet installs Drain pans with a real drain line, working shutoffs, and access left the way an inspector and a future plumber need it.
- Expansion tanks and PRVs Where the home has a pressure reducing valve or backflow device, an expansion tank protects the new heater and the relief valve.
- Haul-away and cleanup The old tank leaves with us. The garage or closet is left the way we found it, minus the puddle.
How It Works
What a Water Heater Replacement Looks Like
Usually one visit, start to finish.
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Tell us what happened
Leaking, no hot water, or just old. If water is running, shut the cold supply valve on top of the heater and we will walk you through the rest on the phone.
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We assess and size
The plumber checks the existing unit, the location, venting, gas or electrical, and how your household uses hot water.
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You approve a written price
Options with real numbers, including tankless if it fits, and financing if you want it. Nothing happens until you say go.
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We install, test and permit
The new heater goes in to code, we check for leaks and proper operation, pull the permit, and haul the old unit away.
Current Specials
Save on the work your home needs most.
Water Heater Leaking Right Now?
We answer 24/7, and a standard replacement can often be finished the same visit.
What Our Customers Say
Don't just take our word for it — hear from our satisfied customers
★★★★★
I had Radiant Plumbing replace my tankless water heater, damaged in the Feb. 2021 snowmageddon storm with a new unit. The process was smooth and professional from start to finish. The plumber, James, was extremely knowledgeable and thoroughly explained my options to me. The cost and time to perform the installation were just as estimated. When he was done, James explained how to maintain the system, what service would be needed and how to perform it, and answered all of my engineering geek questions. It was a thoroughly positive experience. I have used several different plumbers in Austin over the past 15 yrs, but my search is over - I will not hesitate to call Radiant next time and would recommend them unreservedly.
8/9/23 Update: I have subsequently used Radiant for a toilet repair, faucet installation (Danny), and drain work (Ezekiel) and they have continued to impress with knowledgeable, friendly plumbers and quality work.
8/9/23 Update: I have subsequently used Radiant for a toilet repair, faucet installation (Danny), and drain work (Ezekiel) and they have continued to impress with knowledgeable, friendly plumbers and quality work.
★★★★★
We called Radiant Plumbing after we noticed a water leak in our kitchen. We were in a time crunch and they were able to schedule us quickly, before we left for vacation. They sent their representative, Preston Nichols, and he was excellent to deal with! He was on time, skillful, friendly, and very professional. It turned out to be a problem with our dishwasher but Preston was quick to diagnose it and set our minds at ease. While he was here, we mentioned that our one year-old water heater needed to be flushed. Preston was quick to take care of that, as well, saving us time and money in the process. Radiant charged us almost half the price another plumber quoted us for that service! While Radiant Plumbing isn’t our usual plumber, they gained a new customer. We won’t hesitate to call Radiant again in the future based on our VERY positive experience with them.
★★★★★
Had 3 different systems installed by them approx. 3 years ago for a total of approx $20k. I was quite happy with the install until the year later when they came for a maintenance call and started finding deficiencies in their own install. they wanted extra money to address those deficiencies. Now I am in the process of selling my home and an inspector has found a few items that need to be addressed and they will not even look at the report unless I schedule a $139.00 service call. Very poor customer service.. This company does not stand by their work and would not recommend.
I am revising my review of this business from 1 to 5 stars. After my original review I was contacted by the company's service manager and he made sure that I was taken care off. I had a team of 3 technicians coming to my house to double check the system and make the necessary adjustments. I was very satisfied by their attention to details and professionalism.
I am revising my review of this business from 1 to 5 stars. After my original review I was contacted by the company's service manager and he made sure that I was taken care off. I had a team of 3 technicians coming to my house to double check the system and make the necessary adjustments. I was very satisfied by their attention to details and professionalism.
Maintenance Membership
Join the Care Club
Home maintenance for $9.99 a month.
Care Club members get two HVAC tune-ups and a plumbing safety inspection every year, priority scheduling, no dispatch fees — ever — and 5% off every repair.
- Priority scheduling
- Seasonal HVAC tune-ups
- Annual safety inspection
- Exclusive member discounts
- Free dispatch on repairs
- No long-term contracts
Water Heater Installation Questions
Do I need a permit to replace a water heater in Texas?
Yes. In Texas, replacing a water heater is permitted plumbing work that has to be done by a licensed plumber, and the installation is inspected. That is not red tape for its own sake. A water heater holds pressurized, heated water, and on a gas unit it is also a combustion appliance venting into your house. The inspection checks the relief valve piping, the venting, the gas connection, the drain pan and the strapping. Radiant pulls the permit as part of the job and installs to the code the inspector is going to check against, so you are not paying twice for a corrected install.
How long does a water heater installation take?
A like-for-like tank replacement in a garage or utility closet is a matter of hours, and it can often be done on the same visit as the quote because standard sizes are on the truck. Jobs take longer when the location is awkward, such as a tight attic, when the old install was not to code and needs corrections, or when you are changing fuel type or going tankless and we need to run gas, venting or a new circuit. We will tell you up front what your job involves and how long it should take, and you will have hot water before we leave.
What size water heater do I need?
For a tank heater, the two numbers that matter are the capacity in gallons and the recovery rate, which is how fast it can reheat. A small household with one bathroom can be fine on a 40-gallon tank. Add a second bathroom, teenagers, a soaking tub or a large-format shower, and 50 gallons or a high-recovery unit is usually the right call. Bigger is not automatically better: an oversized tank costs more to buy and to keep hot. We ask how many people are in the house, how many bathrooms, and whether mornings involve back-to-back showers, then size from that.
Why does my new water heater need an expansion tank?
Water expands when it is heated. In a house with an open connection to the city main, that extra volume just pushes back into the supply. Many Central Texas homes have a pressure reducing valve or a backflow device on the main, which creates a closed system, and the expanding water has nowhere to go. Pressure climbs every heating cycle, the relief valve starts weeping, and the tank, fittings and fixtures take the strain. A small expansion tank on the cold side gives that water a cushion. Where the plumbing code requires it, we include it in the quote rather than surprising you at the inspection.
Can I finance a new water heater?
Yes. Radiant offers financing through Service Finance Company, LLC, subject to credit approval. The current programs are no interest and no payments for 6 months, followed by 12.95% APR for 120 months, or 12.95% APR for 180 months. Your plumber can run the monthly figure on the same written quote you already have, so you are comparing a payment against the cost of living without hot water or patching an old tank. Details are on the financing page.
*Offers cannot be combined with other promotions or applied to dispatch fees. No cash value. Must present offer at time of service. Call for details.
