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.
