No hot water, or a puddle around the tank?Water heaters in Northern Virginia
A new tank installed in Northern Virginia runs $2,000 to $4,800, electric at the low end and gas at the high. Tankless or a hybrid heat pump is $5,500 to $7,500. Permit, expansion tank, drain pan, haul-away and labor are in those numbers.
Usually next day
Common sizes are on the truck. A tank swap is two to four hours.
Tanks from $2,000
Ranges published below. The measure settles your number.
Repair when it is the right call
Under eight years and not leaking, fix the part.
Ask us for a price
Tell us what it is doing and roughly how old it is. We will call you back with a number.
Trusted Water Heater Services Across Northern Virginia
If the tank itself is leaking
Replace it. A rusted-through steel tank is not a repair. Shut off the water and the gas or the breaker, then call.
If it is under about eight years old and not leaking
Repair is usually the right call. A thermocouple, gas control valve, heating element, thermostat, or burner assembly are real repairs on a tank that still has years in it. You get the part price and a read on the unit before you decide.
If it is past ten and acting up
Hear both numbers. A big part in a twelve-year-old tank buys you a tank that is still twelve years old. If the repair is still worth doing on yours, that is what you will hear.
How to read the age. The label on the side. Most brands put the build date in the first four digits of the serial, month then year. A gas tank here typically lasts eight to twelve years. Electric, ten to fifteen. Past that and still running means you get to pick the week, instead of the tank picking a Tuesday.
Send the age and what it is doing. You will hear which side of that line you are on. Send it here, or call (703) 997-9757.
Prices
General ranges, installed. Where your house lands depends on the fuel, how the heater vents, the size you need and the warranty on the tank, which is what the free measure settles.
| What you are buying | Installed |
|---|---|
| Electric tank Cheapest to buy and simplest to fit. No flue, no gas line. |
$2,000 to $4,000 |
| Gas tank The common Northern Virginia setup. Price depends on how it vents, see below. |
$2,800 to $4,800 |
| Tankless or hybrid A wall-hung tankless unit, or a heat pump sitting on an electric tank. |
$5,500 to $7,500 |
Venting is the jump, not the badge on the tank. Atmospheric uses the flue you already have. Power vent is a fan and PVC out a side wall, which is most of the spread in the gas row, and if there is no usable flue you do not have a choice. Scale treatment on tankless is a separate line, because hard water here eats the heat exchanger and skipping it voids most warranties.
Send the make, the size, and a photo of the setup and you get the number for your room instead of a range. Send it here. The full breakdown is on the cost guide, and every other price we publish is on the calculators page.
What the price includes
A lower number is usually a different scope.
The permit, and the inspection
Replacement is permitted work in Northern Virginia. Skip it and it comes back at listing.
A thermal expansion tank
Most houses here have a check valve or a pressure reducer on the incoming line, so the plumbing is closed. Heat the water and it has nowhere to go. The relief valve weeps. Required here. The line most often missing from a cheap bid.
A drain pan, and a drain that actually leaves the room
Anything on a finished floor, in a closet, or above living space gets a pan. A pan that drains onto the same carpet is decoration.
New connectors, a shutoff, and a fresh T&P discharge
Run down near the floor. That valve is what saves the house if a thermostat sticks.
Venting checked, not assumed
Draft on a gas flue gets tested before anyone leaves. A tank that will not draft puts combustion gases in the room.
The old unit out, and the mess with it
We carry it, we take it, we sweep.
Got a bid that does not look like this list? Send it. Second opinions are free.
Reviews
Our water heater died on Friday night around 7:30pm. We called SwiftPro, and by 10pm we had quotes, a phone call explaining the options, followed by a signed contract and an appointment to have a new one installed Saturday morning. We’ve also used SwfitPro before for HVAC services, and each time they have been quick to respond, always pleasant to deal with, thorough in their work, and competitive and fair in their pricing. I would recommend highly recommend them to anyone.
Cathy KalweitGoogle, May 2026
SwiftPro was excellent. When our hot water heater went out (at nearly 20 years old, we were neither upset nor surprised!) we reached out to a few places but SwiftPro was the most responsive and arranged for an onsite visit the next morning. Zabi, the service technician was fantastic! I can’t say enough good things about him. He was prompt, provided excellent communication, took meticulous care with the work and work space, and was just a great person to talk to. The install went great and there was no aggressive sales tactics or upselling. Just a genuine cut and dry hot water heater removal and install experience. I highly recommend SwiftPro. Thanks Zabi
AdamGoogle, March 2026
Tank, tankless, or hybrid
Tank
Most houses should stay on one. Same size, same corner, same fuel, done in an afternoon. The ten-year tank costs more, recovers faster, and is the one most people pick.
Tankless
Makes sense if you are remodeling, out of floor space, or done running out on the second shower. It needs a larger gas line, new venting, and a yearly descale. That is a conversion, not a swap.
Hybrid
A heat pump sitting on an electric tank. It blows cool air and wants room around it. Basement, yes. Bedroom closet, no.
If it is leaking, or the water just went cold
Water on the floor
Close the cold shutoff on top of the heater. Then kill it: gas control to OFF, or the breaker off. Then call.
No hot water
Gas: pilot or igniter first. Electric: the red reset on the upper thermostat behind the access panel. A tripped high-limit is common and cheap.
Hot, then cold, fast
Usually the lower element on an electric tank, or the dip tube. You are heating the top six inches and nothing else.
Popping or rumbling
Sediment. A flush buys time on a tank that is not already due.
Two handles to find while the floor is still dry: the cold shutoff on top of the heater, and the gas dial or the breaker.
Leaking now: (703) 997-9757. Most tank replacements are the next day.
Maintenance
| What | How often | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Flush the tank | Once a year | The burner fires through whatever has settled on the bottom |
| Anode rod | Every 2 to 3 years | The part that corrodes so the steel does not |
| Test the T&P valve | Once a year | The one safety device on the unit |
| Descale a tankless | Once a year | Scale is what kills them here, and skipping it voids most warranties |
| Look at the supply lines | Once a year | A twenty-year-old rubber washer hose is a few dollars |
A flush is $199 on its own. Right now it rides along with the whole-home plumbing check on the flush offer. The Family Care Plan checks the heater every year, the relief valve, the venting, the connections and any corrosion, and flushes it while we are there at the member price.
FAQ
How fast can you get a new one in?
Most tank jobs are the next day. Same day if you call in the morning and the size is in stock. Cathy’s unit died at 7:30 on a Friday night and went in Saturday morning.
How long does the install take?
Tank swap: two to four hours. Tankless conversion: most of a day, because the gas line and the venting are new work.
Do you pull a permit?
Yes. Every replacement. It is in the price.
40 or 50 gallon?
One to three people on a 40. Three to five on a 50. Five or more, or four-plus baths, a 75. If you already run out on a 40, do not buy another 40.
Is the published price the price I pay?
It holds if the room is what you said it was. A plumber measures and checks venting before the job is booked. Attic platforms, third-floor closets, and tight finished stairs are the usual extras.
Can I finance it?
Yes, every tier, subject to approval.
Somebody quoted me a lot more than this table.
Send it. Second opinions are free. Sometimes the other company is right.
Do you service units you did not install?
Yes. Repair, flush, anode, tankless descale. Any brand.
Where this work happens
Northern Virginia only: Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Arlington and Fauquier counties, plus the City of Fairfax, Falls Church and Alexandria. A lot of the water heater jobs are McLean, Tysons Corner, Vienna, Fairfax, Chantilly and Ashburn. Outside those counties, say so on the phone. We are not your plumber there.
Call with the age, the size, and whether it is leaking
You get a price before anyone is standing in your basement. Book online if calling is a hassle.
Virginia Class A contractor license #2705192276. BBB Accredited with an A rating. 4.9 stars across 874 Google reviews. Trane Comfort Specialist. Rheem Pro Partner. Mitsubishi Diamond Contractor. Listed in both the HVAC and Plumbing categories of Northern Virginia Magazine’s Best Home Experts directory. 2025 Nextdoor Neighborhood Faves winner in Emerald Chase (Herndon) and Hunters Run (Chantilly). Nexstar Network member. Family owned.
4230 Lafayette Center Dr, STE N, Chantilly, VA 20151 · (703) 997-9757 · info@goswiftpro.com