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Gas, electric and tankless

Hot water tanks &
tankless water heaters.

We replace gas and electric hot water tanks, take the old one away, and install tankless water heaters, for houses, townhomes and condos across the North Shore and Metro Vancouver.

Home · Services · Hot Water Tanks & Tankless

Prosafe replaces gas and electric hot water tanks, with standard removal and disposal of the old tank included, and installs tankless water heaters. Gas work is done by our licensed gas contractor, who takes out the gas permit or uses an eligible replacement decal. Every tank is installed to the current code: strapped against earthquakes, with its relief valve piped to a safe place.

Tank or tankless

Which water heater suits your home.

Both work well on the North Shore. The right one depends on how your household uses hot water, the space, the venting and the gas supply.

A storage tank

Gas or electric, usually 40 or 50 gallons, keeping a full tank hot and ready. The simplest replacement when the space and the venting stay the same. FortisBC puts the average life of a standard tank at 10 to 12 years.

A tankless water heater

Heats water as it flows instead of storing it, so it does not run out the way a tank does, as long as it is sized for how many showers and taps run at the same time. It frees floor space and, for gas tankless, FortisBC puts the average life at about 20 years. Switching from a tank usually needs new venting and, for gas, a full installation permit rather than a replacement decal.

Life spans: FortisBC, “Tank or tankless?”

Time to replace?

Signs your tank is near the end.

  • The tank is more than ten years old
  • Water pooling under it, or a damp base
  • Rusty or discoloured hot water
  • Hot water running out sooner than it used to
  • Rumbling or popping while it heats

FortisBC’s advice: a standard tank that is ten or more years old could fail at any time, and a leaking storage tank cannot be fixed. Replacing it on your schedule beats a flooded basement.

What a replacement includes

More than a tank on the floor.

Replacing a tank properly means the work around it that the BC Building Code and the plumbing code ask for, which is why an installed tank costs more than the tank at a store. Your written quote lists what your installation needs.

  • Removal and disposal of the old tank
  • Seismic strapping to the structure, which the BC Building Code requires in our region
  • A temperature and pressure relief valve, with its discharge pipe run down to a floor drain or another safe place
  • A shut-off valve on the supply close to the tank
  • A drain pan where the tank sits over a wood floor or in a ceiling space, as in many condos
  • For gas: the gas permit or an eligible replacement decal, by our licensed gas contractor

Sources: BC Building Code 2024, Div. B 9.31.6.2.(3) (strapping); National Plumbing Code 2020 (the BC Plumbing Code 2024), Div. B 2.6.1.3.(7), 2.6.1.7 and 2.6.1.11.

Ready to talk about your job?

Gas permits, city by city

Who issues the gas permit for your tank.

Four of the municipalities we serve issue their own gas permits; in the other four, Technical Safety BC does. A permit from the wrong authority is not valid (Technical Safety BC bulletin IB-GA-2018-01), so it matters which one your home is in.

MunicipalityGas permit fromGood to know
City of North VancouverThe CityThe City’s gas permit form lists storage and instantaneous (tankless) water heaters. Source: City permits
District of North VancouverThe DistrictA gas permit is needed before the work begins, and the District also lists hot water tanks among the work that needs a plumbing permit. Source: gas permit · plumbing permit
VancouverThe CityMechanical and electrical permits are required for all space and water heating as of July 1, 2023. Source: City gas permits
BurnabyThe CityAny change to the gas system of a house or duplex needs a gas permit, applied for online or in person. Source: City trade permits
West VancouverTechnical Safety BCThe District does not issue or inspect gas installations. Source: District mechanical permits
CoquitlamTechnical Safety BCCoquitlam is not on Technical Safety BC’s list of local governments that issue their own gas permits. Source: Technical Safety BC
Port CoquitlamTechnical Safety BCThe City says a hot water tank replacement does not need a City plumbing permit; gas and electrical permits are separate. Source: City plumbing permit form
Port MoodyTechnical Safety BCPort Moody is not on Technical Safety BC’s list of local governments that issue their own gas permits. Source: Technical Safety BC
Technical Safety BC

The replacement decal

Where Technical Safety BC is the authority, a licensed gas contractor can replace a residential water heater of 50,000 Btu/h or less like for like with a replacement decal instead of a full permit. A decal is not allowed when the venting method changes, when a tank becomes a tankless heater, or when the fuel changes, for example from electric to gas: those need an installation permit.

Source: Directive D-GA 2012-01, Replacement Appliance Permit Decals
Strata, duplex or a suited house

No homeowner gas permit

Owners of a strata or a non-strata duplex, and anyone running a business from home, cannot get a homeowner gas permit from Technical Safety BC. Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver allow a homeowner permit only for a single-family detached home the owner lives in, and the District and Burnaby not for a house with a secondary suite. A licensed gas contractor takes it out instead.

Sources: Technical Safety BC; Vancouver; District of North Vancouver; Burnaby gas permit form
Vancouver homeowners: the City had planned a rule from January 1, 2027 requiring high-efficiency replacement water heaters in houses and duplexes, but on May 21, 2026 Council directed staff to report on repealing it, with the report expected in December 2026. We will tell you what applies on the day we quote (City of Vancouver).
Condos and townhomes

Replacing a tank in a strata home.

In a closet, over a wood floor

The plumbing code asks for a drain pan under a storage tank over a wood floor or in a ceiling space, piped to a drain or another acceptable place. Many condo tanks need one.

The building’s rules

We work around the strata’s move-in and elevator bookings and its rules on contractors, and keep the work area clean.

The gas permit

In most of our cities a strata owner cannot take out a homeowner gas permit, so for a gas tank our licensed gas contractor takes out the permit or uses an eligible decal.

How it is priced

What a new hot water tank costs.

Installed prices depend on the fuel and the size of the tank, with standard removal and disposal of the old tank included. Tankless work is quoted after we see the space, the venting and the gas supply; that visit is a $99 + GST assessment, paid before the visit and credited toward the job when you go ahead. An expansion tank, where the system needs one, is priced separately.

  • Electric hot water tank, 40 gallon, installed

    Starting installed price, including standard removal and disposal of the old tank. The equipment model, installation conditions and any extra work are confirmed in your written quote.

    From $1,800
  • Electric hot water tank, 50 gallon, installed

    Starting installed price, including standard removal and disposal of the old tank. The equipment model, installation conditions and any extra work are confirmed in your written quote.

    From $2,000
  • Gas hot water tank, 40 gallon, installed

    Starting installed price, including standard removal and disposal of the old tank. The equipment model, installation conditions and any extra work are confirmed in your written quote.

    From $2,000
  • Gas hot water tank, 50 gallon, installed

    Starting installed price, including standard removal and disposal of the old tank. The equipment model, installation conditions and any extra work are confirmed in your written quote.

    From $2,500
  • Existing tankless water heater replacement

    A custom quote.

    By quote
  • Tank to tankless conversion

    A custom quote.

    By quote

Starting installed prices, including standard removal and disposal of the old tank. The equipment model, installation conditions and any extra work are confirmed in your written quote. Tankless replacements and tank-to-tankless conversions are quoted.

Prices in CAD, plus GST. See all our prices

Hot water, answered

Questions homeowners ask us about water heaters.

How much does a hot water tank replacement cost?

It depends on the fuel, the size and the installation: gas or electric, 40 or 50 gallons, the venting, and how easy the tank is to reach. Tankless replacements and tank-to-tankless conversions are quoted after we see the job. Installed tank prices start at $1,800, including standard removal and disposal of the old tank. Your written quote confirms the tank model and the installation conditions.

How long does a hot water tank last?

FortisBC puts the average life of a standard gas or electric storage tank at 10 to 12 years, and a gas tankless water heater at about 20 years. A leaking storage tank cannot be repaired, so a tank past ten years is worth planning for before it fails.

Do I need a permit to replace my hot water tank?

For a gas tank, yes: a gas permit, or for a like-for-like replacement where Technical Safety BC is the authority, an eligible replacement decal. The City of North Vancouver, the District of North Vancouver, Vancouver and Burnaby issue their own gas permits; in West Vancouver, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody it is Technical Safety BC. Some cities also ask for a plumbing, mechanical or electrical permit. Our licensed gas contractor takes out the gas permit, and we tell you what else applies in your city.

Can I switch from a tank to a tankless water heater?

Yes, in most homes. A tankless heater is sized by how much hot water runs at once, and the change usually means new venting and sometimes a larger gas line. Under Technical Safety BC’s rules, changing from a tank to a tankless heater needs a full installation permit, not a replacement decal. We quote it after seeing the space, the venting route and the gas supply.

Can I take out the gas permit myself in a strata home?

No, not as a strata owner. Technical Safety BC does not give homeowner gas permits to owners of a strata or a non-strata duplex, or to anyone running a business from their home. Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver allow a homeowner permit only for a single-family detached home the owner lives in, and the District of North Vancouver and Burnaby not for a house with a secondary suite. A licensed gas contractor takes out the permit, and ours does it as part of the job.

Is there a rebate for a new water heater?

As of October 2026, BC Hydro offers up to $1,000 for replacing a home’s primary electric water heater with a qualifying heat pump water heater installed by a licensed contractor; self installations and replacing a broken heat pump water heater do not qualify. Rebates change often, so check BC Hydro’s current terms, and we will tell you what applies when we quote.

What are your hours?

Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. We are closed on weekends and statutory holidays. You can send us a request through the website or WhatsApp at any time, and we reply during business hours.

Rebates: BC Hydro, water heater rebates (checked October 2026).

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No obligation

Get a price for your new hot water tank.

Send us a photo of your tank’s label and where it sits. We reply Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Who does the work: about Prosafe Plumbing & Mechanical.