A tankless water heater in Los Angeles typically costs $5,500 to $9,500 installed for a gas tankless unit replacing a gas tank heater, and $7,500 to $13,000 for a gas tankless unit that requires a larger gas line. An electric tankless water heater typically costs $4,500 to $8,500 installed.
These are installed prices, not unit prices. Electrical panel upgrades, relocation, venting and major plumbing changes are usually extra.
| Job | Typical Los Angeles price |
|---|---|
| Gas tankless replacing a gas tank heater | $5,500 to $9,500 |
| Gas tankless requiring a larger gas line | $7,500 to $13,000 |
| Electric tankless | $4,500 to $8,500 |
Typical Los Angeles pricing. Final pricing depends on project size, site conditions, materials, permits, engineering requirements and scope of work.
How Much Does It Cost to Install a Gas Tankless Water Heater?
A gas tankless water heater replacing a gas tank heater typically costs $5,500 to $9,500 to install in Los Angeles.
The burner is what makes this a bigger job than a tank swap. A tank heater warms stored water slowly, so its burner is small: one 40-gallon residential gas tank heater, for example, is rated at 40,000 BTU per hour of input. A whole-home tankless unit heats water as it flows through, so its burner is far larger: Rinnai’s RU199iN is rated at up to 199,000 BTU per hour. The gas piping has to deliver that volume of gas, and the tankless unit needs its own vent rather than the natural-draft flue a tank heater uses.
How Much Does a Gas Tankless Water Heater Cost if It Needs a Larger Gas Line?
A gas tankless water heater that requires a larger gas line typically costs $7,500 to $13,000 in Los Angeles.
Whether a home needs a bigger line is worked out from gas pipe sizing tables based on the National Fuel Gas Code. Among the inputs are the unit’s BTU rating, the length of the run from the gas meter, and the other gas appliances on the same line, such as a furnace, range or dryer. In some houses only the branch from the main line to the water heater is too small. In others, a gas line upgrade has to start at the meter, which is the longer run.
How Much Does an Electric Tankless Water Heater Cost?
An electric tankless water heater typically costs $4,500 to $8,500 to install in Los Angeles.
An electric unit needs no gas line and no flue, so the main added work is electrical. Whole-home models draw a large load: Rheem’s 36-kilowatt RTEX-36 draws about 150 amps at 240 volts and calls for four 40-amp breakers. If the existing panel cannot carry that load, an electrical panel upgrade is priced on top of the range.
| Gas tankless | Electric tankless | |
|---|---|---|
| Example rating | Rinnai RU199iN, up to 199,000 BTU per hour | Rheem RTEX-36, 36 kW, about 150 amps at 240 volts |
| Gas line | Yes, sized for the unit plus the other gas appliances on the line | No |
| Venting | Its own vent to the exterior | None |
| Electrical | A 120-volt outlet for ignition and controls | Dedicated 240-volt circuits |
What Is Included in a Tankless Water Heater Installation?
On a Wise Choice Remodeling tankless installation, the old tank is drained, disconnected and hauled off for disposal, and permit costs and filing are included in the project scope.
The installation closes with the building department’s final inspection. Whoever you hire, ask them to confirm in writing whether permit fees and haul-away are in the price.
What Costs Extra on a Tankless Installation?
Electrical panel upgrades, relocation, venting and major plumbing changes are usually extra.
Which of those a house needs is set by what is already there. An older home may still have gas piping and a flue sized for the tank heater it was built with, and an electric conversion depends on how much spare capacity the panel has.
Can I Replace My 40-Gallon Water Heater With a Tankless Water Heater?
Yes, a tankless unit can replace a 40-gallon tank heater, but it is sized by flow rate instead of by storage.
A tank is chosen by how many gallons it holds. A tankless unit is chosen by how many gallons per minute it can heat at once, so the real question is how many showers, faucets and appliances will run at the same time. Rheem’s Performance RETEX-36, for example, is listed at 7.03 gallons per minute. Water quality matters after the installation too: in hard-water areas, the heat exchanger needs regular flushing to clear mineral scale.
Do You Need a Permit to Install a Tankless Water Heater in Los Angeles?
Yes. In the City of Los Angeles, water heater replacements require a permit from the Department of Building and Safety (LADBS), and replacing a water heater is on the LADBS list of work that can be issued as an express permit with no plan check.
The same express permit list includes low-pressure gas piping systems with up to 10 outlets, and non-engineered electrical work under 600 volts with up to 400 amps of total load in existing residential buildings. Express permits are issued online or by appointment at the LADBS counters in Metro, Van Nuys, West Los Angeles, San Pedro and South Los Angeles. Unincorporated Los Angeles County and the independent cities run their own permit processes. At the final inspection, the inspector checks items such as the gas pressure test and the venting.
What Should a Tankless Water Heater Estimate Include?
A written tankless estimate should say which of the three jobs above it is pricing, because the ranges differ by thousands of dollars.
Before setting a price, the contractor should look at the current water heater location, measure the gas piping and work out the BTU load from the meter to the unit, check the electrical panel’s capacity, and decide how the new unit will vent. The estimate itself should list the scope, the materials, the timeline and the warranty. On a tankless water heater installation at Wise Choice Remodeling, a project manager does that assessment at the free estimate visit, permits are filed before any work starts, and the installation carries a 2-year workmanship warranty. $0 down financing is available for qualified homeowners.
The ranges above are a starting point for comparing quotes. The scope and price for a specific house are set in its written estimate.
