Start with the homes. Platted in the 1920s as a planned garden suburb around the golf course, so the oldest streets have 1920s and 30s Tudor and Colonial homes with basements, cast iron and galvanized. Most of the rest filled in between 1945 and 1970 with brick ramblers and split-levels on copper and cast iron. Very little new construction; the plumbing is old and the houses are well kept. Fircrest is about 35 minutes from Port Orchard, over the Narrows Bridge and a few minutes down Highway 16 to the Orchard Street exit, which puts it comfortably inside the territory we cover every week.
Why tankless water heater installation is a little different in Fircrest
Vacation homes and rentals around Fircrest benefit from tankless because there is no stored tank to leak during an empty month. Paired with a smart shutoff valve, it is a low-worry setup for an owner who is not nearby.
Then there is what is under the yard. A gently rolling glacial plateau between Tacoma and University Place, with gravelly outwash that drains well in most yards and a few low spots near the golf course and Leach Creek that stay wet.
Local conditions that affect tankless water heater installation in Fircrest
Ask a Fircrest homeowner what goes wrong with plumbing here and you will usually hear a version of this: Basement floor drains and old laundry standpipes backing up
Winter water comes into Fircrest homes cold, and that limits how many gallons per minute a tankless unit can bring to shower temperature. We size for the coldest month so two fixtures at once still work in January.
Here is a Fircrest detail that changes how we approach the job: Water heaters in original utility rooms and basements aging out
Many older Fircrest gas lines were sized for a tank heater and a stove. A tankless burner needs much more, and we calculate the whole-house gas load and upsize the line as part of the installation rather than letting the unit starve.
Signs Fircrest homeowners call us for tankless water heater installation
Worth a call
- A remodel or ADU is adding hot water demand the current tank cannot meet
- The household runs out of hot water with two showers back to back
- You want the closet or garage space the tank occupies
- The tank heater is at the end of its life and gas is already at the location
- You are adding gas service or a gas line for other appliances
How we handle tankless water heater installation in Fircrest
Our tankless water heater installation process in Fircrest is assess fuel, gas capacity and water, choose the unit and the location, flat, itemized quote, install and connect, commission under load, then permit, warranty and schedule, with the written price coming before any tool is picked up.
Read the full step-by-step for tankless water heater installation →
Fircrest neighborhoods and areas we serve
We have worked in Contra Costa and the south end, in Emerson and Alameda and most of the Fircrest neighborhoods in between, including the homes out by Regents Boulevard median and Thelma Gilmur Park.
Tankless Water Heater Installation questions from Fircrest
Do you pull the permit for a tankless installation in Fircrest?
Yes, for both the plumbing and the gas line, and we schedule the inspection.
Can you replace my old tankless unit in Fircrest with a Rinnai?
Yes. With the gas and vent already in place it is usually a short job, and we correct anything the original installation was missing, such as isolation valves or undersized gas.
Is my Fircrest house a good candidate for tankless?
If it has gas or propane and the household runs out of hot water or wants the space back, probably yes. If it is all-electric, a tank is usually the better value. We give a straight answer on the estimate visit.
How long does a tankless conversion take in Fircrest?
Most are done in a day with hot water back by evening. Adding a gas line to a new location or running a long vent can push it to two days, and we tell you up front.
Will my existing gas line work for a tankless heater?
Often not without upsizing. A tankless burner draws several times the gas of a tank heater, and lines sized for a tank and a stove starve it. We calculate the load and include any upsizing in the quote.
Fircrest homeowners often find us after a larger outfit quoted a replacement for something that only needed a repair. We would rather earn a customer for life than win one big ticket.