Tankless water heater installation is a different job than swapping in another tank. Done right, it gives you hot water on demand, frees up the floor space your old tank used to take, and runs more efficiently for the next two decades. Done wrong, you end up with a unit that can’t keep up in a Reno winter, a gas line too small to feed it, or venting that fails inspection.

The U.S. Department of Energy reports that for homes using 41 gallons or less of hot water daily, tankless units can be 24% to 34% more energy efficient than conventional storage tanks. That efficiency only shows up when the install is done right.

If you’re planning a tankless installation, call Best Plumbing & Heating at (775) 830-9309 for an honest assessment of what your home needs.

Why Reno Homeowners Choose Tankless

There are real reasons a tankless water heater installation is the right call for many Reno homes:

• • Endless hot water on demand — no waiting for a tank to recover
    
    

• • A much smaller physical footprint, often wall-mounted, freeing up garage or utility space
    
    

• • A typical service life of around 20 years, well beyond a standard tank
    
    

• • Lower standby energy losses, because the unit only fires when you turn on hot water
    
    

• • A better fit for homes that want to reduce monthly energy use long-term
    
    

The trade-off is the install itself. A tankless unit isn’t a plug-and-play swap for a tank — it usually requires a larger gas line, dedicated venting, and in some cases an electrical change. That’s where a poor installation becomes obvious within the first winter. If you haven’t yet settled the tank-vs-tankless question, our water heater replacement page walks through that decision in more detail.

What’s Actually Involved in a Tankless Installation

Gas Line Sizing

A gas tankless water heater fires at a much higher BTU rate than a standard tank — often three to four times higher. If your existing gas line is sized for the old tank, it may not deliver enough fuel at full demand. We check the line size, meter capacity, and other gas appliances on the same line, and upsize it when needed.

Venting

Tankless units have specific venting requirements that differ from tank units. Most modern condensing tankless heaters use PVC or polypropylene venting, run directly outside through the wall or roof. The vent run length, materials, and termination location all matter. Cutting corners here is the most common reason a tankless install fails inspection or has combustion issues later.

Electrical and Water Connections

Even gas tankless units need electricity for controls, ignition, and the fan. Electric tankless units need substantially more — often a dedicated high-amperage circuit and sometimes a panel upgrade. On the water side, we install isolation valves on both the cold inlet and hot outlet so the unit can be flushed for descaling without shutting down the whole house. Small detail, big difference over the life of the unit.

Sizing a Tankless Water Heater Correctly

This is where most undersized tankless water heater installations go wrong. A tankless unit isn’t sized by gallons in a tank — it’s sized by flow rate (gallons per minute, or GPM) and by how much it can raise the incoming water temperature. The Department of Energy notes that a 70°F temperature rise is typical at a flow rate of 5 GPM for gas-fired demand units and 2 GPM for electric ones.

That matters in Northern Nevada more than in most of the country. Incoming water in Reno can drop into the upper 40s and low 50s in winter, which means the unit has a much larger temperature rise to handle to get water to a usable shower temperature. A unit sized for a mild climate can fall short here in January — so we size around peak simultaneous demand and winter inlet temperatures, not summer ones.

Tankless Brands We Install

At Best Plumbing & Heating, every tankless water heater installation we do uses a unit from a manufacturer we know inside out — Navien, Rinnai, or Bosch. These are the brands we stand behind because their service records, parts availability, and engineering all hold up. You can see the full list on our manufacturers page.

Our Tankless Water Heater Installation Process

We keep the process simple and transparent:

Step 1 — Site visit and assessment. We come out, look at your home’s existing gas, electrical, water, and venting setup, and ask about your hot water use. This is where we figure out whether a tankless install needs any upgrades to your home’s infrastructure.

Step 2 — Recommendation and estimate. We help you choose the right brand, size, and model, and walk you through what the install involves. You get a full estimate up front — including any gas, venting, or electrical work — before we move ahead.

Step 3 — Installation. Our licensed plumbers handle the full job: removing the old unit if there is one, running new gas and venting as needed, mounting the tankless unit, connecting water and electrical, and installing isolation valves for future service.

Step 4 — Testing and walk-through. Before we leave, we test the unit through its full range, confirm safe operation, and show you how it works — including how to adjust temperature and what the indicator codes mean.

If you’re ready to move forward with a tankless installation, call (775) 830-9309 to schedule your site assessment.

Tankless Maintenance — Especially in Northern Nevada

A tankless water heater earns its long lifespan only with regular maintenance, and that starts the day of the install. The single most important ongoing task is an annual descaling. Mineral content in the local water supply varies across Reno and Sparks — TMWA blends softer river water with harder groundwater from area wells — and in many homes that mineral content settles inside the heat exchanger over time. Left alone, scale buildup damages the heat exchanger and shortens the life of the unit.

Annual descaling, combined with a quick inspection of valves, filters, and venting, is what keeps a tankless unit at peak performance for 20 years instead of 10. If you’re already running a tankless unit and need it descaled, our water heater repair team handles service and diagnostics for the same brands we install.

Serving Reno, Sparks, and Northern Nevada

Best Plumbing & Heating is located at 933 Pyramid Way in Sparks, NV. We install tankless water heaters throughout Reno, Sparks, Incline Village, Lake Tahoe, and the greater Northern Nevada area.

Whether the install is in Midtown Reno, South Reno, Spanish Springs, or up near the lake, our team handles the full job — gas, venting, electrical, water, and final testing — to manufacturer specifications and local code. We’re licensed, bonded, and insured, and we’ve been doing honest plumbing and heating work for Northern Nevada homeowners for over 30 years. Tankless installation is part of our full range of residential services.

Frequently Asked Questions About Tankless Water Heater Installation in Reno

How Long Does a Tankless Water Heater Installation Take?

A straightforward installation — where the existing gas line, venting, and electrical are already adequate — is usually a one-day job. A conversion from a tank, or an install in a new location, can take longer because of the gas, venting, or electrical work involved. We give you a realistic timeline after the site assessment, not before.

How Much Does a Tankless Water Heater Installation Cost in Reno, NV?

Cost depends on the unit, your home’s existing gas and venting setup, and whether any infrastructure upgrades are needed. A tankless install almost always costs more up front than a tank replacement, but the long service life and lower operating cost narrow the gap over time. You’ll get a full, itemized estimate after our site visit — call (775) 830-9309 for a realistic figure for your home.

How Long Does a Tankless Water Heater Last?

A quality tankless water heater typically lasts around 20 years, and some units push further. The two factors that decide whether yours hits that mark are correct sizing at install and annual descaling. Skip either one and the unit can fail years early.

Will a Tankless Water Heater Keep Up Year-Round in Reno?

Yes, when it’s sized for winter performance, not summer. Incoming water here can drop into the upper 40s in January — a much bigger temperature rise than tankless units handle in mild climates, so a unit perfectly sized for July may fall short by Christmas. For larger homes with high simultaneous demand (multiple showers plus laundry, for example), we sometimes recommend pairing two units or choosing a model with built-in buffer-tank technology. Correct sizing is the difference between a tankless that delivers and one that disappoints.

Do Tankless Water Heaters Work During a Power Outage?

No. Even gas tankless units need electricity to run their ignition, fan, and digital controls, so an outage shuts them down the same way it would a furnace. If reliable hot water during outages matters to you — and Reno does see winter storm outages — we can size a small backup generator or battery system to cover the unit, and we’ll talk through whether that’s worth adding during the install.

Do You Handle Permits and Code Compliance?

Tankless installations are subject to local code requirements, and permitting depends on your jurisdiction and the scope of the work. As licensed plumbers, we handle code-compliant installation and walk you through what your specific install requires.

Call Best Plumbing & Heating for Tankless Water Heater Installation in Reno Today

A tankless water heater is a long-term investment, and the unit you choose and the install you get will affect your hot water — and your energy bill — for the next twenty years. When the install is done right, you stop thinking about it: endless hot water, a unit that doesn’t quit in January, and a quiet wall-mounted system that just runs.

We give honest recommendations, clear estimates, and clean installation work — no surprises, no unnecessary upsells. Just dependable plumbing from a team that’s been serving Northern Nevada homeowners for over three decades.

Call Best Plumbing & Heating today at (775) 830-9309 to schedule your tankless water heater installation and start planning the install the right way.