Cost, permits, rebates, brands, timing and the repair-or-replace line. If the answer you need is not here, call and ask — there is no charge for a question.
Most repairs land between $150 and $450 fitted — a thermocouple or a heating element at the low end, a gas control valve at the high end. You get the exact number in writing before work starts, and there is no diagnostic fee whether or not you go ahead.
A 40-gallon gas tank runs $1,100–$1,600 installed and a 50-gallon $1,300–$1,900; a 50-gallon electric is $1,100–$1,700. Gas tankless is $1,800–$3,800 and a heat pump $2,000–$3,600 before the rebate. All of those include the unit, the labour, the haul-away and the Portland BDS permit.
No. No diagnostic fee and no trip charge anywhere inside Portland city limits. If you decline the work after the quote, you owe nothing.
Call before noon on a weekday and same-day is realistic for most of the city. The emergency line is answered around the clock, with no after-hours surcharge.
Scheduled work runs Monday to Saturday 7am–7pm and Sunday 8am–5pm. The emergency line is answered 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Yes. It is permitted work through the City of Portland Bureau of Development Services, and the inspection checks the seismic strapping, the T&P discharge, the venting and the expansion tank. We pull the permit and schedule the inspection, included in the flat rate.
Two straps, anchored into structure, at the upper and lower third of the tank — and not within the bottom four inches. It is the item most commonly missing on an unpermitted install and the first thing an inspector looks at.
Under eight years old with a repair below about $350, repair it. Over ten years old, or a repair costing more than half a replacement, replace it. If the tank itself is leaking there is no repair — a corroded liner cannot be patched by anyone.
Eight to twelve years for a tank, ten to fifteen for a heat pump, and twenty or more for a tankless unit that gets descaled. Portland's soft Bull Run water is easy on scale but hard on anode rods, so the rod is what usually decides where in that range a tank lands.
Energy Trust of Oregon pays up to $800 on a qualifying heat pump water heater and up to $400 on a qualifying gas tankless unit, for PGE, Pacific Power and NW Natural customers. We are a registered trade ally and file the paperwork at no charge.
All the common ones: Rheem, Bradford White, A.O. Smith, State, American, Navien, Rinnai, Noritz, Takagi and Bosch. For new installs we fit Bradford White and Rheem tanks and Navien or Rinnai condensing tankless units, chosen for local parts availability and warranty service.
If you are staying ten years or more, or you routinely run out of hot water, usually yes. If you are selling soon, or the gas line needs a major upsize, usually not. We will tell you which case you are in rather than quoting whichever is bigger.
Yes, and it is in the price rather than added at the end. Old tanks are recycled for scrap steel.
One year on parts and labour from us, on every job, alongside whatever the manufacturer provides on the unit itself — typically six to twelve years on a tank.
All three. Tankless installation, service and descaling; heat pump installation including the circuit, the air volume question and the Energy Trust rebate; and conventional tanks in gas and electric.
The same table our technicians quote from.
| Unit | Brands we fit | Installed price |
|---|---|---|
| 40-gallon gas tank | Rheem, Bradford White, A.O. Smith | $1,100–$1,600 |
| 50-gallon gas tank | Rheem, Bradford White, A.O. Smith | $1,300–$1,900 |
| 50-gallon electric tank | Rheem, Bradford White, A.O. Smith | $1,100–$1,700 |
| Gas tankless | Navien NPE, Rinnai RUR, Noritz | $1,800–$3,800 |
| Heat pump (hybrid) | Rheem ProTerra, A.O. Smith | $2,000–$3,600 |
Installed prices for Portland in 2026 — unit, labour, haul-away of the old heater and the Portland BDS permit included. A heat pump installation drops to roughly $1,300–$2,800 once the Energy Trust of Oregon rebate is applied. Anything that changes the scope — a fuel conversion, new venting, a gas line upsize, a relocation — is quoted separately and in writing before we start.
Describe what the unit is doing. We will tell you what it probably is, what it usually costs, and whether it is worth fixing at all.
Call and ask. There is no charge for a conversation, and no one here is on commission.