A water heater installation is judged on things nobody looks at afterwards: whether the expansion tank is there, whether the T&P valve discharges somewhere safe, whether the venting on a gas unit actually vents. Those are the items an inspector checks when the house is sold, and the items that matter if anything ever goes wrong.
Napps Plumbing — Longview & East Texas since 1957
Gas, electric or tankless. The right answer depends on what fuel you have, how you use hot water, and how long you plan to stay.
Faster recovery and lower running costs where gas service exists. They need correct venting and adequate combustion air, which is where a rushed installation usually goes wrong.
Simpler to install, no venting or combustion to worry about, and available anywhere. Slower to recover and more expensive to run than gas.
Continuous hot water and a much longer life. Worth a proper conversation about gas supply sizing and venting before anyone quotes a number.
Sized on peak simultaneous demand, not square footage. Undersized means running out; oversized means paying to keep unused water hot around the clock.
Expansion tank, drain pan and drain line, correct T&P discharge, seismic or securing straps where required, and proper gas venting.
If you are replacing a heater earlier than you should be, the water is usually the reason. Worth addressing while the plumbing is already open.
Four items that are invisible on the day and expensive to be without. All four are code, and all four get skipped by somebody working fast.
Water expands when heated. In a house with a check valve or pressure reducing valve at the meter — which is most modern installations — that expanded water has nowhere to go, so pressure climbs every heating cycle. The result is a T&P valve that weeps, stressed fittings throughout the house, and a shortened tank life. A small expansion tank absorbs it. It is inexpensive, it is required, and it is routinely omitted.
Plumbing Repair →The temperature and pressure relief valve is the single most important safety device on a water heater — it prevents the tank becoming a pressure vessel with no way to vent. Its discharge pipe has to run to a safe location, terminate at the correct height, and never be capped, plugged or threaded in a way that lets anyone cap it. If yours discharges into a bucket or has been plugged because it dripped, that is a serious problem rather than a tidy solution.
Water Heater Repair →Every tank eventually leaks, and the only question is where the water goes when it does. A pan plumbed to a drain turns a ceiling collapse into a wet pan. This matters most for heaters in attics or upstairs closets, which in this area is common — and those are exactly the installations where a pan is most often missing.
Leak Detection →A gas water heater produces combustion gases that must leave the building, and it needs enough air to burn cleanly in the first place. A vent that is undersized, disconnected, or shared incorrectly with another appliance can spill carbon monoxide into the house. A heater in a sealed closet with no combustion air provision will burn poorly for the same reason. Both are checked as part of any installation we do.
Gas Line Repair →A starting point. We size on your actual peak demand.
| Household | Typical Tank | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 people | 30-40 gallon | More if a large tub is filled regularly |
| 3-4 people | 40-50 gallon | The most common residential size |
| 5+ people | 50-80 gallon | Or consider tankless for continuous supply |
| Simultaneous showers | Larger or tankless | Peak demand matters more than headcount |
| Gas vs electric | Gas recovers faster | A smaller gas tank can outperform a larger electric one |
Or call 903-758-6482 — 24/7
Sized properly, fitted to code, and the old unit taken away rather than left in your garage.
How the household actually uses hot water, what fuel is available, and what the existing connections allow.
Usually a tank option and a tankless comparison, with running costs and life expectancy explained rather than just install prices.
Old unit drained and removed, new unit set, expansion tank and pan fitted, T&P routed, gas venting verified.
Run up to temperature, checked for leaks, thermostat set sensibly, and we show you the shut-off and flush valve.
Repair covers most faults. These are the situations it does not.
The four code items that get skipped are the four we do not skip.
Or call 903-758-6482 — available 24/7
These come straight from our Google Business Profile — unedited, and updated automatically as new reviews come in.
What people ask before replacing a water heater.
It depends on the size and fuel type, and on what the existing installation is missing. A straight like-for-like swap where everything is already to code is at the lower end. Adding an expansion tank, a drain pan and line, or correcting venting adds to it — but those are the items that protect the house and pass inspection, so they are not optional extras. We quote flat after seeing it.
Size on peak simultaneous demand rather than headcount. Two people who fill a large soaking tub need more capacity than four who take short showers at different times. As a rough guide, most households of three to four sit at 40 to 50 gallons, but we would rather ask how you actually use hot water. Gas also recovers faster than electric, so a smaller gas tank can outperform a larger electric one.
A straightforward replacement is usually two to three hours including draining and removing the old unit. Converting from electric to gas, relocating the heater, or bringing an older installation up to code takes longer. A tankless conversion is generally a full day because of the gas and venting work involved.
If your house has a pressure reducing valve or check valve at the meter — most do — then yes, and it is required by code. Water expands when heated, and in a closed system that expansion has nowhere to go, so pressure spikes on every heating cycle. That is what makes T&P valves weep, stresses fittings throughout the house, and shortens tank life. The tank is inexpensive and it prevents a long tail of small problems.
Yes, and it is a reasonable thing to do. The only thing worth understanding is that the manufacturer warranty on the unit stays between you and the retailer, while our warranty covers the installation. We will also tell you before starting if the model you have chosen will not suit the existing connections, venting or space.
It is worth pricing rather than assuming either way. Tankless gives you continuous hot water and a service life beyond twenty years, but costs more up front, often needs gas line and venting work, and requires annual descaling in water as hard as ours. If you are staying long term with high or variable demand it usually pays back. For a shorter stay a good tank is the better value, and we will say so.
Repair, tankless and water treatment each have their own page.
Sized on real use, fitted to code, and the old unit taken away with us.
Tell us the current size and fuel type, where the heater is located, and whether you have ever run short of hot water.
