Should I buy a water heater from a plumber?
In most cases, yes. A plumber who sells you the heater is also on the hook for choosing the right one, fitting it to your space and meeting the code, so the responsibility sits in one place.
Size is what gets missed most often. We size the heater from how the household uses hot water, and only use the old one as a starting point, and we check the new unit fits the space. Modern tanks are frequently wider and taller than the ones they replace.
The heater, the code items, the permit and disposal all go on one written estimate. Our installation is covered for 60 to 90 days, and the tank has its own maker’s cover on top. Ask who registers that one so it is active from day one.
Buying your own is possible, but if it turns out to be the wrong size or fuel, the visit and the return are on you.
There is also the question of what happens if the new heater misbehaves in its first months. When we supplied it and fitted it, there is one phone number to call, and no argument between a store and an installer about whose fault a leaking union or a tripping element is.
Want it looked at?
Shopping around first? Send us the age and size from the old label and we will tell you what the house needs.