Video · Water Heaters
Water Heater Replacement Process, Heard Up Close
The water heater replacement process runs in order: shut off water and gas, drain and remove the old tank, set the new heater, pipe and vent it, then purge air and test. This clip catches the copper work and the delivery.
Job footageSwiftPro
- Topic
- Water Heaters
- Length
- 0:36
- Posted
- September 4, 2026
- Shot by
- The SwiftPro crew, Northern Virginia
What you’re seeing in this video
Turn the sound up for this one. A tech in a gray hoodie and red work gloves rolls a pipe cutter around a length of copper, tightening the blade a little each turn, over a drop cloth laid down to keep the floor clean.
Then the delivery: a tech in a black SwiftPro cap and hoodie eases a boxed Navien condensing tankless water heater out of the van and onto a red hand truck. Once the old heater is out, the new piping gets cut and fitted to the new unit's connections, and the venting follows.
Why it matters in your house
- A rotary pipe cutter leaves a square, clean end, which is what a solder joint needs to seal. A sloppy cut is how a new install starts dripping a week later.
- Drop cloths on the floor are a small thing, and they tell you a lot about how the rest of the job will go.
- Going from a tank to a condensing tankless adds steps: a condensate drain, PVC venting and often a larger gas line. Ask how each one is handled before install day.
What are the steps to replace a water heater?
Shut off the gas or power and the cold water, drain the old tank and disconnect it. Set the new heater, connect the water lines with new valves, hook up gas and venting, and add an expansion tank if the system needs one. Fill it, bleed the air out of the hot lines, light it and check for leaks and proper draft.
Want it done at your place? See Water Heaters at SwiftPro or call (703) 997-9757.
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