New Braunfels Water Heater FAQ

A standard tank typically costs about $1,000 to $3,400 installed, and a tankless water heater about $1,600 to $4,500. The size, the fuel, where the heater sits and the code parts your home needs decide where you land.

Most repair visits land between $200 and $850, and $550 is about average. A thermocouple is usually $125 to $250, a heating element $150 to $325, and a gas control valve $250 to $450.

Repair it when the water heater is under about 8 years old and a single part has failed. From about 8 years on, repair only a small, inexpensive part on a tank that isn't leaking, and replace it when the tank body leaks or rusts, because a rusted-through steel tank can't be fixed.

Swapping a tank for a similar tank takes about 1 to 3 hours; going from tank to tankless takes about 4 to 6. An attic install, an undersized flue or a gas line that needs upsizing adds time.

Yes. The City requires a permit to install, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any plumbing or gas system, and it is normally pulled by the licensed plumber doing the job through the City's online portal. The fee is not published as a flat figure.

Yes, wherever the cold supply passes through a check valve, pressure-reducing valve or backflow preventer. That rule is section 607.3 of the 2021 International Plumbing Code, which New Braunfels adopted in 2023, and a drain pan is also required wherever a leak would damage the home.

Financing is commonly offered on water heaters, often through a manufacturer's program or a store credit card. Terms vary from one offer to the next, so get them in writing before you sign anything.

Check the power or the pilot first: a tripped breaker or a popped reset button on an electric water heater, or a pilot that is out or a gas control set to OFF or VACATION on a gas one. If the breaker trips again, the pilot won't relight or you see water, stop there and call or text.

Usually, yes; water from the bottom of the tank almost always means the inner tank has rusted through. First make sure it isn't the drain valve, the relief discharge pipe or a top fitting dripping down the outside.

Turn the cold-water valve above the tank clockwise until it stops, or a quarter turn on a lever-style ball valve. Then switch off the breaker for an electric water heater, or turn the gas control to OFF and close the gas supply valve for a gas one.

Get out of the house right away, and don't flip switches or use a phone inside. From a safe distance, call 911 and the CenterPoint Energy leak line at 888-876-5786 or 713-659-2111.

The most common cause is a failed thermocouple, the sensor in the pilot flame that tells the gas valve it is safe to stay open. A thermocouple typically costs $125 to $250 to replace; if the gas control valve is the problem on an old tank, replacement often makes more sense.

It's sediment. Minerals from very hard water settle on the tank bottom, and the burner or lower element boils the water trapped under that layer; a flush clears a thin layer, but noise that comes back quickly means the tank bottom has been overheating.

New Braunfels water is very hard. NBU's 2019 water quality report (2018 data) put it at 8.1 to 19.5 grains per gallon, averaging 15.1, which is about 258 mg/L and well above the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) very-hard mark of 180; NBU's newer reports don't publish a figure.

Tank water heaters typically last 8 to 15 years and tankless water heaters 15 to 20. Hard water pushes a tank toward the short end unless it's flushed yearly and the anode rod is replaced in time.

It can be, if you want hot water on demand, have natural gas or a strong electrical service, and will descale it at least once a year. The up-front cost is higher, and most conversions need a bigger gas line and new venting.

It's the metal rod inside a tank that corrodes so the steel tank doesn't. A.O. Smith advises inspecting it yearly and replacing it once the core wire shows, and a water softener uses it up faster. Replacing one typically costs $100 to $250.

If the smell is only in the hot water, the anode rod is the usual suspect, and that's a repair rather than a new heater. If you smell rotten eggs in the air near a gas water heater, treat it as a gas leak: leave the house and call 911 and CenterPoint's leak line from outside.

Often it's scale. Mineral buildup on the heat exchanger trips error codes, and Navien, Rinnai and Rheem call for descaling at least once a year; in water this hard, a missed descale is the first thing to rule out. Note the code shown and call or text.

Yes, it cuts sediment and scale, with one trade-off: softened water makes the tank's anode rod dissolve faster, so check it at least every 3 years. A softener is optional and a separate purchase from the heater.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends setting it at 120°F. At 140°F hot water can scald in about 5 seconds, and at 130°F in about 30.

No. NBU has no rebate for tank, tankless, heat-pump or solar water heaters; its air conditioner and heat pump rebate covers HVAC equipment only.

Texas Occupations Code section 1301.051 lets a homeowner do plumbing in their own homestead, but the City permit and inspection still apply. The job involves gas or high-voltage connections and a relief valve that must be piped correctly, so most homeowners are better off hiring it out.

Yes, if you're in New Braunfels, Canyon Lake, Bulverde or Spring Branch, on either the Comal County or Guadalupe County side. The quote form takes ZIP codes 78130, 78132, 78133, 78163 and 78070, and the service areas page lists every neighborhood.