Nobody budgets for a water heater — it just quits one morning and the question becomes urgent. Here are the honest ranges we see in the Mid-South market, so you're not learning them cold with a house full of people wanting showers. Your exact quote depends on your home, and you'll approve it before any work starts.
Standard tank replacement — the like-for-like swap most homes need — typically runs $1,200 to $2,800 installed around our area. The spread comes from size (40 vs. 50 gallon), fuel (gas venting costs more than electric wiring), and location: a garage swap is the easy end, a closet in the middle of the house or a unit tucked in a crawlspace is the other.
The code items are not padding. A proper install includes the drain pan where required, a correct temperature-and-pressure discharge line, and often a thermal expansion tank — small parts that show up on honest quotes and get skipped on cheap ones. They're the difference between a water heater and a future insurance claim, and haul-away of the old unit should be included, not extra.
Tankless conversion generally lands between $3,000 and $6,000 installed here, because it's more than a unit swap: gas lines usually need upsizing, venting is different, and the unit itself costs more. In exchange you get endless hot water and a unit that commonly outlives two tanks. Our tank-vs-tankless guide covers who actually comes out ahead — it isn't everyone.
Repair, when repair is right, is far cheaper: elements, thermostats, pilot assemblies, and gas valves are common fixes on units with life left. The math we use is honest and simple — under 8 years old with a minor issue, repair; over 10, leaking from the tank itself, or on its second repair, put the money toward the new one.
What quietly changes the number: switching fuel types, relocating the unit, bringing old venting to code, and access. What never should: surprise line items after the work starts. You'll have the full installed price before we touch anything — and if it dies on a Saturday, so are we: (901) 699-7763.
