Water Heater & Tankless Replacement in San Rafael, CA
Gas tanks, tankless units and heat pump water heaters, repaired or replaced by licensed plumbers working out of our shop on Andersen Drive. We tell you honestly whether a repair will do, and you get a written estimate before any work starts.
Book online and we’ll call you to set a time. No hot water at all? Call or text instead.
Find us at 1221 Andersen Dr, Unit M, San Rafael · Get directions · All San Rafael plumbing services
San Rafael homes, and what that means for your water heater
The median San Rafael home was built in 1968, but the city mixes Victorian blocks, post-war tracts and low-lying neighborhoods built on fill. The house around the heater shapes the job as much as the heater does.
Gerstle Park, downtown & Dominican
Gerstle Park is San Rafael’s oldest historic district, with houses going back to the 1800s, and Dominican mixes Victorians with Craftsman and mid-century homes. After a century of remodels, the flue, gas piping and shutoff valves around an old heater deserve a look before a new one goes in. A new tank on a seized valve isn’t a finished job.
The Canal & east San Rafael
Much of east San Rafael sits on old marsh and fill behind levees and pumps. A gas water heater whose controls have sat in floodwater should stay off until it’s checked; federal safety guidance (CPSC) is to replace a gas control valve that was submerged, not dry it out. We swap the control or the whole unit, then check the vent.
Sun Valley, Glenwood & Peacock Gap
Sun Valley is mostly 1940s–60s houses, and Peacock Gap grew up around its golf course in the 1960s. Homes this age have been through several water heaters already, and the next replacement is a good moment to correct old venting, missing strapping or a missing expansion tank.
North San Rafael has its own page: for Terra Linda, Lucas Valley and Marinwood, including Eichlers on slab floors, see our Terra Linda & Lucas Valley plumbing page. If your hot water is tied to an Eichler radiant boiler, start with our Eichler radiant heat page.
Repair first: common San Rafael water heater calls
A heater under roughly 8–10 years old with one failed part is usually worth repairing. Repairs are priced after we diagnose, so call for a quote.
Burner won’t light or pilot keeps dropping
Usually: the thermocouple, the pilot assembly or the gas valve itself.
We test the parts in order and swap only the failed one.
Puddle under the heater
Usually: a fitting, drain valve or relief valve, which can be fixed, or a tank seam, which can’t.
We find the source before talking about a new heater.
Relief valve dripping
Usually: pressure building up with no working expansion tank.
We check house pressure and the expansion tank.
Tankless error code or cold slugs
Usually: mineral buildup inside, a dirty water-inlet filter, or a sensor that reads flow wrong.
We pull the error history, descale, clean the screen and replace the sensor if it’s bad.
Rust-colored or smelly hot water
Usually: a used-up anode rod or a tank lining that’s failing.
We swap the anode on a younger tank and recommend replacing an older one.
Water bill suddenly higher
Usually: a relief valve running to drain or a hidden hot-line leak.
We rule out the heater first, then use leak detection for walls and slabs.
San Rafael gets soft water from Marin Water, so mineral scale is slow to build. Slow isn’t never: a tankless unit still needs a periodic flush, and a scaled-up heat exchanger is one of the most common reasons a tankless quits.
No hot water in San Rafael? Get on our schedule.
Replacing it: gas tank, tankless or heat pump?
We usually quote all three side by side. More detail: tank, tankless, heat pump.
Gas tank in the same spot
The lowest upfront cost and often done the same day. A good fit when the old tank failed without warning and its location already meets code. Plan on it being your last gas tank.
Gas tankless
Wall-hung, frees floor space and keeps up with back-to-back showers. At full fire it burns far more gas than a tank, so most conversions need new gas piping and a new vent route, plus the City’s gas schematic review (see permits below).
Heat pump water heater
All-electric and the direction the air district rules point. It needs room for air around it, a condensate drain and electrical capacity, so a garage usually suits it better than a closet. 120V plug-in models exist for homes with a full panel.
What it costs in San Rafael
What moves the number: access (closet, basement stairs, attic), new venting, gas line size, electrical work for a heat pump, code items the old install never had, and whether the City or the County issues the permit. Repairs: call for a quote. 2026 pricing. Every home is different, and the estimate is free and in writing.
From the job file: recent San Rafael water heater work
A recent San Rafael job: tank out, condensing tankless in (September 2026)
The homeowner’s water heater was aging out, and we gave them three options: a new gas tank, a heat pump water heater or a tankless. They chose tankless. Here’s what the install involved:
- New heater
We removed the old heater and mounted a Navien NPE-240A2, a condensing tankless with recirculation built in. - Water piping
We reconfigured the hot and cold connections with ProPress copper fittings, which are pressed on rather than soldered. - Venting
New vent pipe runs out to a sidewall termination next to the garage door. - Gas supply
We ran new gas piping from the existing 1-inch gas line in the mechanical room to the heater, with a new shutoff valve at the unit. - Relief valve
We installed the required relief valve kit on the new heater. - Condensate
A condensing heater produces acidic water as it runs, so we connected its drain to a condensate pump.
Tankless for tankless
An older Noritz tankless in a San Rafael home had reached the end of its life. We replaced it with a Navien NPE-240A2 and set the built-in recirculation to run always on, so hot water reaches the taps quickly.
Tank for tank
For another San Rafael homeowner who wanted to stay with a tank, we replaced a 40-gallon gas water heater with a new 40-gallon State ultra-low-NOx gas model.
Permits, the air district rule and rebates
Who issues your permit
- City of San Rafael(downtown, Gerstle Park, Dominican, Sun Valley, Glenwood, Peacock Gap, the Canal, Terra Linda): a tank of 100 gallons or less, or one tankless for another, is a minor permit filed online through the City’s OpenGov portal.
- Tank to tankless: the City reviews a gas schematic before the permit is issued, so build in a little lead time.
- Minor permits are good for 180 days. We schedule the final inspection well inside that window.
- Unincorporated areas with San Rafael addresses, such as Santa Venetia and Lucas Valley–Marinwood, are permitted by the County of Marin. We check the parcel and file with the right office.
BAAQMD Rule 9-6 (October 2026)
- The rule applies only when a heater is sold or installed. Your working gas heater can stay, and it can still be repaired.
- Small gas tanks: the zero-NOx cutoff covers storage heaters of 75,000 BTU/hr or under whose manufacture date falls after January 1, 2027. Air District staff want to delay it to 2028.
- Tankless, big tanks, boilers: their cutoff is January 1, 2031 by manufacture date, which the same staff proposal would stretch to 2033.
- Those delays aren’t final until the Air District Board decides on November 4, 2026. Our 2027 rule guide has the details.
Heat pump water heater rebates
MCE offers up to $675 on a qualifying heat pump water heater (as of September 29, 2026) for owner-occupied, single-family detached homes. The rebate has to be set up before the install, and Local Plumbing is an MCE participating contractor, so we handle the paperwork with you. Other programs are thin: TECH Clean California has a waitlist, federal HEEHRA rebates closed in February 2026, and the federal 25C tax credit ended after 2025. Check mcecleanenergy.org for current terms.
Why San Rafael homeowners call Local Plumbing
- We’re based here. Our shop and training facility is at 1221 Andersen Dr, Unit M, in San Rafael.
- Code done right: we pull the permit and bring the install up to current code, including seismic strapping, a relief line and an expansion tank where the plumbing needs one.
- Tankless and heat pumps planned properly: we size the gas supply for the whole house, route the vent to a proper termination, and add isolation valves for easy descaling. Heat pumps get a placement, airflow, condensate and 120V or 240V plan.
- Licensed C-16 & C-36 contractor(Lic #1091739). Owner Conor Crawford was named PHCC California Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2026.
San Rafael water heater FAQ
How much does water heater replacement cost in San Rafael?
A gas tank water heater runs $3,500–$6,500 installed, and a heat pump water heater $6,500–$12,000 before rebates. Tankless jobs vary too much with gas piping and venting for a fair range, so we price them on site with a free written estimate.
Should I repair or replace my water heater?
Repair usually makes sense on a heater under about 8–10 years old with a single failed part. A tank that leaks through its own wall, or an older one with rusty water or rumbling, should be replaced. See when to replace a water heater.
Does a San Rafael water heater replacement need a permit?
Yes. Inside city limits it’s a minor permit filed online, and a new tankless install also needs a gas schematic reviewed first. Unincorporated areas such as Santa Venetia and Lucas Valley–Marinwood are permitted by Marin County. We file it either way.
How long does a tankless installation take?
Usually about a day on site. Converting from a tank adds the City’s gas schematic review first.
Can I still install a gas water heater in San Rafael?
Yes, today. Gas tanks made after January 1, 2027 must be zero-NOx under the current rule, and a proposed amendment would push that to 2028. Gas tankless units fall under the later 2031 date. The Air District votes on November 4, 2026.
Is there a rebate for a heat pump water heater in San Rafael?
Yes: MCE pays up to $675 on a qualifying unit for owner-occupied single-family homes. Most other programs are closed or waitlisted (see above).
What is recirculation on a tankless water heater?
It keeps hot water moving through the pipes so it reaches the tap faster instead of running cold first. Some tankless models, like the Navien NPE-240A2 we installed on recent San Rafael jobs, have it built in, and it can be set to run always on.
We work across San Rafael: downtown, Gerstle Park, Dominican, Sun Valley, Glenwood, Peacock Gap, Loch Lomond, the Canal, Santa Venetia, Terra Linda, Lucas Valley and Marinwood. See our San Rafael page for everything else we do in town, our Terra Linda & Lucas Valley page for north San Rafael, and all our water heater services.
Hot water trouble in San Rafael?
Book a visit online, or call or text us for a free written estimate.
