Water Heater Installation & Replacement in Gainesville, FL

No hot water? Sized right, installed to code, and we stand behind it.

Rather text? Send a photo of the problem to 352-377-9447 and we’ll tell you what it sounds like.

Licensed Florida Plumbing Contractor CFC1430748

8.2 grains per gallon of hardness in Gainesville city water, the mineral load your tank fights every day. We test your water for free before we quote a heater. Water heater repair

For a typical like for like tank swap, start to hot water.

2 to 3 hrs

Parts and labor warranty on your install, with the manufacturer warranty on top.

2 yr

Service call to come out and diagnose it, waived on larger jobs.

$ 69

Water heater installation in Gainesville, FL from First Choice Plumbing covers tank and tankless, gas and electric, for homes and businesses across Alachua County. A licensed plumber sizes the unit to your household, pulls the permit, installs to Florida code, hauls off the old tank, and backs the work with a two year parts and labor warranty. Call or text (352) 377-9447.

Do You Actually Need a New Water Heater?

Here is the honest version, and it is the same thing we would tell a neighbor.

If the tank itself is leaking, it is done. Water coming from the body of the tank means the steel has rusted through from the inside, and there is no patch for that. Replace it before it lets go all at once and soaks the garage or the closet it sits in.

If the tank is dry and the problem is no hot water, not enough hot water, or a pilot that will not stay lit, a lot of the time that is a repair. A heating element, a thermostat, a thermocouple, a gas valve. Those are parts, not a whole new unit, and we will tell you so. Water heater repair

Age is the tiebreaker. Most tanks in this part of Florida give you somewhere between eight and twelve good years. Under eight, we usually fix it. Past twelve, putting a few hundred dollars into a unit that is already living on borrowed time is money you will spend again soon.

The signs that usually mean replace:

If a repair is the right call, we will tell you. We would rather fix your heater today and earn the repipe five years from now than sell you something you did not need.

What Does a New Water Heater Cost in Gainesville?

Most plumbing sites will not answer this. We will, as straight as we can from a web page.

Nationally, replacing a standard 40 or 50 gallon tank runs somewhere around $900 to $2,500 installed, with electric usually landing lower than gas, and tankless running higher because of the venting and gas line work. Those are national ranges from cost guides, not a quote from us. Anyone who gives you a firm price for your house without looking at your house is guessing.

What changes your number: tank or tankless, gas or electric, the size, whether the old unit is in a tight closet or an easy garage, whether the venting and the shutoff are still good, and whether code now requires an expansion tank or a pan that was not there before.

What we can promise now is how you get the number. It is $69 for us to come out and look, that $69 comes off the ticket on larger jobs, and you get one written price before any work starts. No surprise line items at the end.

If the timing is bad, financing runs through Wisetack on jobs from about $500 and takes a couple of minutes.

Not ready to book? Text a photo of your water heater and its label to (352) 377-9447 and we will tell you what you are looking at.

The Guy Whose Name Is on the License

Will Harrod is the owner and the Florida certified plumbing contractor behind First Choice Plumbing, license CFC1430748. He runs the estimates himself, and Mike runs the service calls. Kim answers the phone and dispatches, which is why you get a person and not a call center.

It is a small local crew by choice. Small enough that the person who quotes your water heater is the person who is accountable for it, and big enough to get there today when your house is cold.

Why Do Water Heaters Fail Early in Gainesville and Alachua County?

Because of what is in the water, and it is worth knowing before you buy anything.

City water from GRU comes out of the Floridan Aquifer and runs moderately hard, right around 140 milligrams per liter as calcium carbonate. That is about 8.2 grains per gallon. Every gallon of that drops a little mineral in the bottom of your tank. Over ten years it builds into a layer of sediment that insulates the burner or the lower element, so the heater runs longer and hotter to do the same work, and the tank wears out sooner. That popping sound an old heater makes is the sediment.

The rotten egg smell

The aquifer is also naturally high in sulfur, which is why so many houses out toward Hawthorne, Melrose, Micanopy and Waldo get that rotten egg smell on the hot side. GRU's own guidance points at the same three suspects we do: the household plumbing, a dirty disposal, or the water heater.

Usually it is the anode rod

In a lot of homes it is the magnesium anode rod inside the tank reacting with sulfur bacteria, and switching to an aluminum rod fixes it.

On a private well, it is all stronger

If you are on a private well, all of that is stronger and nobody is testing it but you. Iron and hydrogen sulfide chew through a heater fast. If your last tank died young, treating the water is usually the cheaper fix in the long run.

We test your water for free

We test your water for free before we quote a heater, because putting a new tank on untreated well water is how you buy two heaters.

What Size Water Heater Do You Need?

Start with how many people live in the house, then adjust for how you actually use hot water. Back to back showers in the morning, a big soaking tub, or a laundry and dishwasher running at the same time all push you up a size.

Most Gainesville homes land on a 40 or 50 gallon tank. Bigger is not automatically better. An oversized tank keeps more water hot than you will ever use, which costs you every month on the power bill, and it takes up room you may not have in a hallway closet.

If your old tank ran out of hot water regularly, tell us. That is a sizing problem and we will fix it. If it never once ran out, you may be able to drop a size and save money.

People in the home	Typical tank size	Size up if
1 to 2	30 to 40 gallon	long showers or a soaking tub
2 to 3	40 to 50 gallon	showers run back to back
3 to 4	50 gallon	laundry and showers overlap
5 or more	60 to 80 gallon, or tankless	two bathrooms running at once

Tank, Tankless or Hybrid: Which One Fits Your House?

Standard tank, gas or electric

This is what most homes here have and what most homes here should keep. It is the least expensive to install, the simplest to service, and any plumber in the county can work on it at midnight. We install Rheem tanks in 40, 50 and 80 gallon, gas, propane and electric. If your current setup works and you just need a new unit, a straight swap is usually the smart money.

Tankless

Endless hot water, no tank sitting in the garage losing heat all day, and a longer service life if you keep up with it. It is a bigger install because it often needs a larger gas line, new venting, or an electrical change, so it makes the most sense when you are already remodeling or when a big family keeps running out. We install and service Navien.

Hybrid heat pump

The cheapest to run of the three, and our climate suits it. It needs air space around it, a garage or a utility room rather than a tight closet, and a condensate drain. If your utility room fits it, we will walk you through the math.

One honest note on tankless: it needs an annual vinegar flush to keep the minerals in our water from clogging the heat exchanger. We do that with vinegar, not chemicals. If you will not keep up with it, a tank is the better buy. Tankless flush and descaling

What Happens When You Call Us About a Water Heater

Tell us what your house is doing.

Cold water, rusty water, a puddle, or just an old tank you want ahead of. We ask a few questions on the phone, and if it is an emergency we get somebody moving. The service call is $69, and it comes off the ticket on larger jobs.

We look at it and price it before we touch anything.

We check the tank, the connections, the venting, the shutoff and the pressure, and we test your water while we are there. Then you get one number, in writing, before any work starts. No hourly meter running while you watch.

We install it, pull the permit, and clean up after ourselves.

Old unit drained, disconnected and hauled off. New unit set, connected, vented and tested. Permit pulled and the inspection handled. If we had to cut a wall to get to something, a professional drywall contractor patches every hole we cut.

Every install includes:

Removal and disposal of the old heater
New shutoff valve and flex connectors
Drain pan and expansion tank where code requires them
Temperature and pressure relief valve and discharge line to code
Permit pulled and inspection scheduled
Two year parts and labor warranty, with the manufacturer warranty on top. Our warranty
A free water test while we are there

The Difference Is in the Details

What matters	First Choice Plumbing	Typical Franchise or Big-Name Plumber
Who shows up	The owner or a tech you will see again. A local crew out of Hawthorne.	Whoever is dispatched from a rotating roster, often a different face each visit.
What it costs to look	$69, and it comes off the ticket on larger jobs.	A diagnostic fee that is usually not published anywhere on the site.
Pricing	One written price before work starts, no franchise fee riding on top.	Flat rate books priced to carry national advertising and royalties.
Repair or replace	If a part fixes it and the tank is young, we tell you and we fix it.	Replacement is often the default recommendation.
Local knowledge	We know GRU water, well water out east, and which anode rod stops the sulfur smell.	Copy and process written for a national footprint, not this county.
Permits	Pulled through the right office for your address, inspection handled.	Usually handled, but worth asking about in writing.
The mess	We patch every hole we cut, with a professional drywall contractor.	Patching is commonly excluded and left to the homeowner.
Warranty	Two years parts and labor from us, plus the manufacturer warranty.	Commonly one year labor, varying by location.

None of this is complicated. It is just the stuff that decides whether you are happy in five years. Book your install online

Do You Need a Permit to Replace a Water Heater in Alachua County?

Yes. In Florida a permit is required to alter, repair, replace or convert a plumbing system, and a water heater changeout counts. That is true whether the unit is gas or electric and whether it is a straight swap or part of a remodel.

Which office issues it depends on where you live. If your address is in unincorporated Alachua County, it goes through the county’s Growth Management Building Division. If you are inside the Gainesville city limits, or in another municipality, it goes through that city’s building office. We handle it either way. You do not call anybody.

It matters more than people think. An unpermitted heater can surface later during a home sale or an insurance claim, and an inspection is also the outside check that the venting, the relief valve discharge and the connections were done right. A licensed contractor pulling a permit is not red tape. It is the receipt.

Our license number is CFC1430748, and it is on every quote we hand you. Licensing and insurance

What It Looks Like Done Right

Hot water when you turn the tap. A clean install you would not mind showing somebody, with a pan under it and the relief line run where it belongs. A permit on file, a written warranty in a drawer, and a plumber’s number in your phone who will actually pick up. That is the whole outcome, and it is not a big ask.

Let's Get Your Hot Water Back

Tell us what your water heater is doing and we will tell you straight whether it needs a part or a replacement.

Call Now: (352) 377-9447 or Book Your Install Online.

$69 to come out, waived on larger jobs. One written price before we start. Two year parts and labor warranty. We patch every hole we cut. Licensed Florida plumbing contractor CFC1430748.

What Waiting Actually Costs

A water heater rarely gives you a polite warning. When a rusted tank finally opens up, it does not drip. It empties, and it keeps refilling and emptying until somebody closes the valve. In a garage that is a mop and a bad afternoon. In an interior closet on a wood floor, that is drywall, baseboard, flooring and an insurance claim. Nobody plans to be home for it, and that is the problem.

If your tank is past ten years and showing rust at the fittings, replacing it on a Tuesday you chose is a lot cheaper than replacing it on a Sunday it chose.

Water Heater Questions We Get Every Week

How much does it cost to replace a water heater in Gainesville?

Nationally a standard 40 or 50 gallon tank replacement runs about $900 to $2,500 installed, with electric usually lower than gas and tankless higher. Your number depends on size, fuel type, access, and whether code now requires a pan or an expansion tank that was not there before. It is $69 for us to come look and price it, and that comes off the ticket on larger jobs.

How long does water heater installation take?

A like for like tank swap is usually two to three hours from the time we walk in to the time you have hot water again. Switching fuel types, moving the unit, or going from a tank to tankless takes longer because of venting, gas line or electrical work. We will tell you which one your house is before we start.

Do I need a permit to replace a water heater in Alachua County?

Yes. Florida requires a permit to replace a water heater, gas or electric. If you are in unincorporated Alachua County it goes through the county's Growth Management Building Division, and if you are inside Gainesville or another city it goes through that city's building office. We pull it and handle the inspection.

What size water heater do I need?

For one or two people, 30 to 40 gallons. Two or three people, 40 to 50. Three or four, usually 50. Five or more, 60 to 80 gallons or tankless. Adjust up if showers run back to back or you have a soaking tub. If your old tank never ran out, you may be able to go smaller and save on the power bill.

Should I repair my water heater or replace it?

If the tank body is leaking, replace it. There is no repair for a rusted through tank. If the tank is dry and the issue is an element, a thermostat, a thermocouple or a gas valve, that is usually a repair, especially on a unit under eight years old. Past twelve years, a repair is money you will likely spend again soon.

How long does a water heater last in Florida?

Most tanks here give eight to twelve years. Hard water shortens that, because minerals settle in the bottom of the tank and make the burner or element work harder. Flushing the tank once a year and checking the anode rod every few years is the cheapest way to get the long end of that range.

Why does my hot water smell like rotten eggs?

That is usually sulfur reacting with the magnesium anode rod inside the tank, and it is very common on well water and in parts of the county fed by the aquifer. Swapping to an aluminum anode rod normally clears it. If the smell is on the cold side too, it is the water itself and not the heater, and treatment is the fix.

Do you install tankless water heaters, and do you offer financing?

Yes to both. We install and service Navien tankless, gas or electric, and we do the annual vinegar flush that keeps our minerals from clogging the heat exchanger. Financing runs through Wisetack on jobs from about $500 and takes a couple of minutes to apply for.

Licensed and insured

Licensed Florida plumbing contractor CFC1430748, and it is on every quote we hand you.

Permit pulled and inspected

Pulled through the right office for your address, inspection handled. You do not call anybody.

Two year warranty

Two year parts and labor warranty on your install, with the manufacturer warranty on top.

Financing from about $500

Financing runs through Wisetack on jobs from about $500 and takes a couple of minutes.

Where We Install Water Heaters

We are based in Hawthorne and we run water heater work across Gainesville and greater Alachua County, plus the surrounding towns where the wells are: Micanopy, Waldo, Melrose, Newberry, High Springs, Archer and out toward Interlachen and Keystone Heights.

We do this for homes and for businesses, including restaurants and older commercial buildings that need commercial capacity and a fast turnaround. Commercial plumbing

If your water heater failed after hours, do not wait until morning to shut the water off. Emergency plumber

Tell us what's going on and we'll take it from there

You get a real person, a $69 visit, a flat price before we start, and a company that patches what it cuts and answers the phone when you call back. If a smaller fix is the right call, we’ll tell you that too.

First Choice Plumbing is a locally owned, owner led plumbing company working Gainesville, Hawthorne and Greater Alachua County. Leak detection, repipes, water heaters, drains, trenchless lining, well water filtration and septic. We find it, we fix it, we guarantee it.

Florida Certified Plumbing Contractor CFC1430748

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