Northern Virginia . water heater maintenance
Water heater flush for $99.
A local plumber drains the sediment out of your tank, then checks the plumbing in the rest of the house: supply lines, shutoffs, water pressure, leaks. You get photos of anything we flag.
$300Tankless, like a
Navien? It gets descaled instead of flushed, with the same plumbing check. Regularly
$350.
5.0 across 884 Google reviews
“I interviewed five HVAC companies and this is the best. Down to earth, they don’t hold you captive for hours trying to sell you something.”Carol Cook · Google
One per household, owner-occupied homes in Northern Virginia. The full terms are at the bottom of the page.
Pick yours
Tank or tankless. One visit either way.
Go and look at it. A tank stands on the floor. A tankless hangs on the wall and is about the size of a carry-on suitcase. Both visits come with the whole-home plumbing safety check.
Tank water heater
$99
$199 flush + $149 safety check.
A $348 value.
The Water Heater Flush
Plus the whole-home plumbing safety check.
- Tank drained and flushed, so the sediment comes off the bottom
- Anode rod checked, the part that corrodes so the tank does not
- Temperature and pressure relief valve tested
- Thermostat setting and venting checked
- A straight answer on where the tank is in its life
Tankless water heater
$300
$350 regular price. On promotion now.
Tankless Water Heater Descaling
Plus the same whole-home plumbing safety check. Navien, Rinnai or any other make.
- Descaling solution pumped through the heat exchanger at the service valves
- Rinsed out with fresh water afterward
- Cold water inlet filter pulled and cleaned
- Air intake filter cleaned where there is one, and the vent checked
- Fired back up and checked at a hot tap
Any brand, whoever put it in.
Why a tankless is different
Tankless water heater descaling.
Tankless water heater descaling is $300 at SwiftPro right now, regularly $350, anywhere in Northern Virginia, and the visit includes the same whole-home plumbing safety check as the tank flush.
There is no tank to flush. A tankless heats water on the way through, inside a heat exchanger made of narrow passages. Our water is moderately hard to hard, and heat pulls the calcium and magnesium out of it as scale that sticks to exactly those passages. There is no tank bottom for it to settle into, so draining the unit does nothing. It has to be dissolved.
That is descaling. We close the service valves, hook a pump and hoses to them, and run a descaling solution through the heat exchanger until the scale lets go. Then we rinse it with fresh water and clean the screen on the cold water inlet.
Navien’s manual calls for it once a year wherever the water is 4 grains per gallon or harder, which is most of Northern Virginia, and damage from mineral build-up is not covered by its warranty.
Signs yours is scaling up
- Hot water that never gets as hot as it used to, or goes cold and stays cold
- Less flow at the hot taps than there used to be
- An overheating code: E016 or E030 on a Navien, LC on a Rinnai
4 grains and up: once a year
Navien’s manual calls for a flush once a year in a home wherever the water runs 4 to 12 grains per gallon and there is no softener or scale filter on the line.
5 to 10 grains per gallon
That is how Fairfax Water describes its own water: moderately hard to hard, varying with the source and the rainfall.
The biggest single reason
“Scale build-up from hard water is the biggest single reason for unit failures.”
Not covered
Navien’s warranty is void for damage from “hard water deposits, lime or mineral build-up”, and for failure to perform regular maintenance.
Why a tank gets flushed
Sediment is what wears a tank out.
The minerals in our water settle to the bottom of a tank and harden into a crust. From then on the burner heats through that crust to reach the water above it, which costs efficiency and shortens the life of the tank.
If yours pops or rumbles when it heats, that is the sediment. A flush buys time on a tank that is not already due, and we will tell you straight where yours is in its life.
Both visits include it
The whole‑home plumbing safety check.
A walk through the rest of the house looking for the quiet failures, the ones that cost nothing today and a lot on a Saturday night.
- Supply linesWashing machine hoses and fixture supplies, the cheap parts that flood basements
- Shutoff valvesThe main and the fixture shutoffs, and whether they actually turn
- Water pressureA reading at the tap. High pressure strains every fixture in the house.
- Drains and leaksVisible corrosion, how the drains run, and anything running when it should not be
- Toilets and trapsRunning toilets, loose traps and slow drips under the sinks
You get photos of anything we flag.
And what we will not do.
- No high-pressure close at the kitchen table. You get the photos whether or not you buy anything.
- No required upsell. The price is the whole price of the visit, not a deposit on something bigger.
- No inventing work. If your plumbing is in good shape we will tell you that and get out of your day.
- If something does need attention, you get real numbers and time to weigh your options.
What neighbors say
5.0 from 884 Google reviews.
BBB Accredited . 2025 Nextdoor Neighborhood Fave
These are the people who will be in your house. Our own plumbers, our own trucks, Northern Virginia only.
“I interviewed five HVAC companies and this is the best. Down to earth, they don’t hold you captive for hours trying to sell you something.”
“Elvis and the entire SwiftPro team were professional, honest and prompt. They were on time and courteous. I offer the strongest recommendation.”
“I hired SwiftPro to inspect my system for a second opinion, and I highly recommend them based on my interaction with all the staff.”
Meet the owner
The SwiftPro Difference in Northern Virginia
Tyler, our owner, on why we do it this way.
Why SwiftPro in Northern Virginia
Before you book
What is in the price, and what is not.
In the price
- $99: one tank water heater drained, flushed and checked, the whole-home plumbing safety check, and photos of anything we flag.
- $300: one tankless water heater descaled and checked, the same plumbing safety check, and the same photos.
Costs extra
- A repair or a part the visit turns up: a worn anode rod, a leaking valve, a failed hose. Priced first, and never required.
- A second water heater: priced before we start, and you can say no to it.
- Service valves on a tankless that has none: descaling runs through them. We price adding a set before we start.
One per household. Owner-occupied homes in Northern Virginia. Not combinable with other offers. Limited time. Normal price is $199 for the flush, $149 for the safety check and $350 for the tankless descale.
SwiftPro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing . Family-owned, Chantilly, VA . Virginia Class A 2705192276 . BBB Accredited . Licensed and insured . Serving Northern Virginia
Book it
Pick a day. We call to confirm.
Choose a window and a SwiftPro plumber calls you from a 703 or 571 number during normal business hours to confirm it. You pay after the visit, and we take credit cards.
Would you rather just talk to a person?
Call (703) 997-9757Which water heater do you have?
Not sure? Pick either one. We check on the call before anyone comes out.
Pick a day that works
Then choose a window. We confirm by phone before we come out.
Where should we come?
Name and mobile are all we need. We confirm the address on the call.
By booking you agree we may call or text you about this appointment. You pay after the visit.
You are on the schedule.
Call (703) 997-9757Straight answers
Questions people actually ask.
Tank or tankless, how do I tell?
A tank stands on the floor and holds 40 to 80 gallons. A tankless hangs on the wall, about the size of a carry-on suitcase, usually with a small screen on the front. Navien and Rinnai are the names you will see most around here. Not sure? Pick either one and we will check on the call before anyone comes out.
How much does tankless water heater descaling cost?
$300 right now, regularly $350, for one tankless water heater anywhere in Northern Virginia. The same visit includes the whole-home plumbing safety check, and you pay after the visit.
How often should a tankless be descaled?
Once a year in most of Northern Virginia. Navien’s manual calls for a yearly flush wherever the water runs 4 grains per gallon or harder with no softener, and Fairfax Water, Arlington and Leesburg all run harder than that. The City of Manassas is the exception: its water is soft enough that Navien’s table skips the flush.
How often should a tank be flushed?
Once a year. If it already pops or rumbles when it heats, that is the sediment, and it is worth doing now.
Why is the tankless $300 and the tank $99?
They are different jobs. The flush drains a tank. A descale means isolating the unit at its service valves, pumping descaling solution through the heat exchanger, rinsing it and cleaning the inlet screen, which takes a pump, hoses and the solution. Both are on promotion right now: the flush is normally $199 and the descale $350.
My tankless has no service valves. Can you still descale it?
Most installs have them. If yours does not, we will price adding a set before we start and you decide. They make every descale after that easier.
Can I descale it myself?
Yes, if the unit has service valves with ports. It takes a small pump, hoses, a bucket and white vinegar or a descaler made for tankless heaters, with the power off first, and Navien’s manual walks through it. If you would rather not, that is the $300 visit, and it comes with the plumbing check.
Do you work on units you did not install?
Yes. Navien, Rinnai, Rheem, Noritz, A. O. Smith, Bradford White, whoever put it in.
What if you find something wrong?
You get photos, a price, and time to think about it. Nothing gets fixed without you saying yes, and nothing on this visit is a deposit on anything else.