“Our gas tank started leaking in November. Veasna measured the garage, explained what the circuit would take, and the plan listed the panel work as its own line.”
Valerie P.Homeowner, Brookside
Heat-pump water heaters
Leaving gas? Know what the switch involves before you sign
We replace gas water heaters with heat pumps, cap the gas line, and sit down with you over the rebate paperwork. You get the full price in writing first.
- State-licensed plumbing contractor
- Price in writing before work starts
Gas to heat pump
What moves the price when you leave gas
The heater is the smaller part. Most of the difference between one house and the next is the work around it.
The electrical circuit
Most heat-pump water heaters need their own 240-volt circuit, and a few run on a regular outlet. How much work that is depends on the panel and the distance to the heater.
Open breaker space in the panel
How far the wire has to run
A panel upgrade, if the panel is full
Where it will sit
A heat pump pulls heat from the air around it, so it needs room to breathe. A garage is easiest. A closet may need a louvered door or a duct.
Open air or ducting
Height, width and a clear path in
Seismic strapping, which California requires
The gas line and the flue
The gas to the old heater has to be capped and tested, and the flue sealed or removed. It is a short job with an inspection attached.
Capping and testing the branch line
Closing off the flue opening
What else in the house stays on gas
The condensate drain
A heat pump makes water as it works. That water needs a drain, or a small pump to one, and the drain needs a route.
A floor drain or a pump
A line to the nearest legal drain
The heater itself
Size follows the household and how much hot water it uses at once, not the biggest tank on the shelf. A bigger tank costs more and takes more room.
Tank size for your household
How many people use hot water at once
The permit and the inspection
A water heater swap needs a permit in most cities. The permit fee and the inspection visit are on their own line on your plan.
Permit fee, set by the city
Inspection, scheduled by us
Side by side
What changes in your house
A heat-pump water heater is not a gas tank with a different plug. Here is what is different, room by room.
| Your gas tank today | Heat-pump water heater | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the heat comes from | Your gas tank todayBurns gas under the tank | Heat-pump water heaterMoves heat from the air around it into the water |
| The gas line | Your gas tank todayA gas line and shutoff to the heater | Heat-pump water heaterCapped and tested, no gas to the heater |
| The flue | Your gas tank todayA flue through the roof | Heat-pump water heaterNone, but it needs air to move around it |
| Power | Your gas tank todayNone, or a small plug for the controls | Heat-pump water heaterUsually its own 240-volt circuit |
| The drain | Your gas tank todayThe relief-valve line only | Heat-pump water heaterA condensate line, plus the relief-valve line |
| Space | Your gas tank todayCompact, fits a closet with a vented door | Heat-pump water heaterUsually taller than a gas tank, with room around it |
| Sound and air | Your gas tank todayQuiet, and a warm closet | Heat-pump water heaterA fan hum, and cooler air around the unit |
Rebate help
Check the rebates before you choose a heater
Programs for heat-pump water heaters change, and some need approval before the install. An energy advisor checks what is open for your address and household, tells you what each one asks for, and fills in our part of the forms with you.
Programs set their own rules, amounts and end dates, and not every household qualifies. We can’t promise a rebate.
Four steps
From first visit to final paperwork
You decide at step two, with the number in writing. Nothing starts before that.
Home visit
An energy advisor and a plumber look at the heater, the panel, the space and the gas line. We take photos and measurements.
Written plan and rebate check
You get the plan and the price in writing. We check which programs are open to you before you decide.
Install day
We shut off and cap the gas, set the heat pump, connect the circuit and the drain, and test it with you at home. Most installs are done in a day.
Permit and paperwork
We book the inspection, hand you the sign-off and the manuals, and send the rebate paperwork with you as the program asks.
What neighbors might say
“Berenice sat at my kitchen table and went through the rebate form with me. I did not have to guess which papers to dig out.”
Hosea L.Homeowner, Victory Park
“The gas line was capped before the old heater left the house. Joel showed me the cap and where the new drain runs.”
Pablo R.Homeowner, Weston Ranch
“I rent the house, so I asked the owner to read the plan first. It was written plainly enough that she approved it the same day.”
Sunita M.Tenant, Lincoln Village
Sample reviews.
Who comes to the door
Two plumbers and two advisors you will meet
The firm has ten people. These are the four most customers deal with.
Remedios Manalo
Owner and licensed plumber
Owns the firm and reads every plan before it goes to a customer. Still goes out on gas cap-offs.
Veasna Chea
Energy advisor
Does most home visits: measures the space, checks the panel and writes the plan. Talks it through in English or Khmer.
Berenice Meza
Energy advisor, rebates
Checks which programs are open to your address and household, and fills in the forms with you. Talks it through in English or Spanish.
Joel Arellano
Install lead
Leads the install crew: the gas cap, the circuit hookup, the drain and the test. Walks you through the new heater before leaving.
Service area
Towns we work in
Stockton and the San Joaquin County towns around it. If your town is not listed, call and ask before you assume.
San Joaquin County
- Stockton
- Lodi
- Manteca
- Tracy
- Lathrop
- Ripon
- Escalon
- Mountain House
- French Camp
- Woodbridge
- Acampo
- Linden
Sacramento County
- Galt
We don’t go west of Tracy into the Bay Area, or north of Galt toward Sacramento. If you are close to the edge, call and we will tell you straight whether it works.
ZIP codes: 95202, 95203, 95204, 95205, 95206, 95207, 95209, 95210, 95212, 95215, 95219, 95240, 95242, 95330, 95336, 95337, 95376
Questions before you switch
What does a home visit cost and what does it include?
A visit covers the heater, the panel, the space around it and the gas line, with photos and measurements. There is a visit fee, and it comes off the price if you go ahead with the work. The pricing page says what the written plan includes and leaves out.
Will I get a price before you start?
Yes. You get a written plan with the price before any work starts. The panel work, the gas cap and the permit each have their own line, so you can see what each part costs.
How long does a swap take?
Most swaps are done in a day. A full panel, a long wire run or a closet that needs ducting can add a second visit, and we say so on the plan.
Does a heat pump water heater work in a garage in winter?
It takes heat from the air around it, so a garage works. Most units have a backup heating element that takes over when the air is very cold, and we check the model against your garage at the visit.
Can a program pay for it if my income is low?
Some programs are for households under an income limit. Your energy advisor can tell you which ones are open for your address, what proof they ask for, and whether the installer has to be on a list.
Do you cost more at night or on weekends?
We work weekdays and Saturday mornings, and we don’t run a night crew. If your heater fails after hours, call and leave a message with your ZIP code. We call back the next working morning, and we can tell you what to shut off in the meantime.
Request a home visit
Tell us about your heater
A few questions about what you have now let an energy advisor call you with a plan, not a sales pitch.
Phone(209) 555-0100
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.