Water Heaters in King County: Install, Repair and Replace
Lighthouse Plumbing installs, repairs and replaces water heaters across King County from our shop in Fall City: gas, propane and electric tanks, tankless units and heat pump water heaters. A like-for-like tank replacement is usually finished in two to five hours on site, with the old heater hauled away the same visit.
Same-day service or $200 off.
If we can't get to your home within 4 hours of your call, we'll take $200 off your invoice.
Real Water Heater Work
In June, PJ replaced an old GE 40-gallon electric water heater in the laundry corner of a house in Fall City's village. He drained and removed the old tank and set a new Rheem 40-gallon electric on a new drip pan and foam base board, strapped and connected with new stainless flex lines. While the water was off he swapped the washer valves on the home's half-inch galvanized lines for quarter-turn ball valves, then tested everything and left with the old heater less than two hours after he arrived.
Two weeks later, Caleb replaced a 50-gallon propane tank in a hallway closet elsewhere in Fall City, reusing the home's sound quarter-turn shutoff and adding a properly sized expansion tank and new seismic straps. Between them, those jobs show the fuels we replace most often in Fall City: electricity and propane. Our Fall City water heater page has the local detail, and our water heater questions cover lifespan, cost and permits across the Eastside.
What We Install
Tank Water Heaters
The reliable choice for most homes. We install 40-, 50- and 75-gallon tanks in natural gas, propane and electric, each on new supply lines, with an expansion tank and seismic straps where the house needs them.
Best for: most households.
Tankless Water Heaters
Hot water on demand from a wall-hung unit, with no tank to keep hot. A tankless outlasts a storage tank when it's descaled on schedule. Switching from a tank is a conversion rather than a swap, covered in the questions below.
Best for: homes with high hot water demand or little room for a tank.
Heat Pump Water Heaters
A heat pump water heater moves heat from the surrounding air into the water, and ENERGY STAR estimates a certified model can save a family of four about $550 a year on electricity compared with a standard electric tank. It needs space and air around it, so a garage or roomy utility area suits it best.
Best for: electric homes with the room for one.
Electric Water Heaters
For homes without gas, which includes a good share of the valley. We confirm the circuit can carry the new heater before we set it.
Gas and Propane Water Heaters
Natural gas in most Eastside cities and the towns, propane across much of the valley. We handle the gas connection and check the pressure and venting.
PSE Heat Pump Rebate
Puget Sound Energy pays its electric customers $1,000 back on a qualifying Tier 3 or Tier 4 heat pump water heater installed on or after January 1, 2026, or $1,100 through its income-qualified Efficiency Boost program, if the application goes in within 30 days of installation. Check PSE rebate eligibility.
Water Heater Repair Services
When a water heater acts up, the fix is often a part rather than a new tank.
No Hot Water or the Wrong Temperature
A failed element or thermostat on an electric tank, or a gas valve or thermocouple on a gas one, is a repair, not a replacement.
Leaks
A leaking relief valve, drain valve or fitting can be repaired. Water coming from the tank itself means the tank is done.
Popping, Rumbling and Pilot Trouble
Noises usually mean sediment on the bottom of the tank, and a pilot that won't stay lit points to the thermocouple, the gas valve or the venting.
Anode Rods and Yearly Maintenance
The anode rod corrodes so the tank doesn't. Checking it, flushing the sediment and testing the relief valve once a year keeps a tank going longer.
Signs You Need Water Heater Service
- No hot water, or not enough: an element, thermostat, gas valve or sediment
- Rusty hot water: tank corrosion or a spent anode rod
- Water around the base: a valve, a fitting or the tank itself
- Popping or rumbling: sediment on the bottom of the tank
- Ten years old or more: most tanks are nearing the end of their life
- Repeat repairs: when the fixes add up, replacement makes more sense
Our Process
1. Diagnose
We look at your heater and how your household uses hot water, and tell you whether it needs a repair or a replacement.
2. Quote
You get a clear, written estimate before we start.
3. Install
A like-for-like tank is usually swapped in two to five hours, tested, and the old one taken away.
4. Stand behind it
Your new heater carries the manufacturer's warranty, and we stand behind our work.
Same-Day Service Guarantee
If we're not on site within 4 hours, $200 off your invoice.
We put water heater calls first, because cold showers and water on the floor don't wait.
Recent Water Heater Work
Bellevue: Water Heater Installation
Bradyn, Brandon and Beau handled Michael's water heater in Bellevue, working out the quirks of his home's setup.
"Bradyn and Beau were super easy to work with and did a great job. Brandon very easily identified the quirks of our setup and knew exactly how to manage them. They made a point of leaving the water heater piping better than when they found it. Jackie at the office was also super easy to work with. Everybody was prompt, communicative and curious."
Michael, Bellevue ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Service: Water Heater Installation | Date: February 2026
Read the full storyDuvall: Tankless Water Heater Installation
Daniel replaced Jason's tankless water heater in Duvall 36 hours from call to finish.
"Reasonable price. Daniel did a great job replacing the tankless water heater. Thank you."
Jason P., Duvall ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Service: Tankless Water Heater Installation | Date: January 2026
Read the full storyWater Heater Service Areas
We serve homes across King County and into Snohomish County from our Fall City shop. Choose your city for local water heater information.
Snoqualmie Valley
South King County
Seattle
Don't see your city? We likely serve your area. Call us or request a quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a gas water heater replacement cost?
On our 2026 invoices, replacing a 50-gallon natural gas tank like for like ran about $3,050 to $4,700 installed, from Duvall and Snoqualmie to Issaquah, Sammamish, Redmond and Kirkland, including new supply lines, an expansion tank and straps where needed, and haul-away. Stepping up to a 75-gallon gas or propane tank ran about $4,900 to $6,800.
What moves the price: tank size, venting changes, a gas line that has to be extended, moving the heater, and whether an expansion tank and straps are already there. Valley electric and propane tanks and tankless swaps are priced in our water heater questions.
Will I have hot water again the same day?
Usually, yes. A like-for-like tank replacement is normally finished in two to five hours on site, and the new tank then needs time to heat: about an hour or a little more for a 50-gallon gas tank, and two to three hours for an electric one. Tankless swaps and conversions take longer and are scheduled as planned jobs.
Which water heater repairs are worth doing?
Repairs that replace a part, not the tank: a heating element or thermostat on an electric tank, a gas valve or thermocouple on a gas one, a relief valve, an anode rod or an expansion tank. A tank that leaks from its own body can't be repaired, and that one gets replaced.
Can I switch from a tank to a tankless water heater?
Yes, but it's a conversion, not a swap. A gas tankless needs a larger gas supply and new venting, and an electric tankless can need far more electrical capacity than a tank, so we size the gas line or the panel first and quote the conversion separately from a like-for-like replacement.
See our tankless versus tank guide.
Can you install a water heater I bought myself?
Yes. If you've already bought a heater, we'll install it with new flex lines, an expansion tank and straps as needed, the way PJ set a homeowner's own 50-gallon Rheem in Fall City in June. Check that the fuel, size and venting match your house before you buy, or call us first and we'll tell you what fits.
Why Homeowners Choose Lighthouse for Water Heaters
Water heaters every week
Replacements are a regular part of our work across the valley and the Eastside, from 40-gallon electric tanks to propane closets and tankless conversions.
A written quote first
You know the price before any work starts.
Based in the valley
Our shop is in Fall City, and our reputation here and on the Eastside matters to us.
Licensed, Bonded & Insured
Washington Plumbing Contractor License: LIGHTP*762K2
Learn how to verify our license or check directly at secure.lni.wa.gov/verify.
Get Hot Water You Can Count On
From a quick repair to a complete replacement: same-day service, a written quote and work we stand behind.
More: signs your water heater is about to fail · water pressure and expansion tanks in Fall City · why valley homes need different plumbing