A hot water tank is the one piece of equipment in the house that nobody thinks about until the morning it quits. So here's the number first. We replace gas hot water tanks across Toronto and the GTA for $1,600 to $2,200 installed for a natural draft tank, and $2,600 to $3,400 for a power vent. That's the tank, the removal, the venting and the gas connection, done by a G2-licensed technician from a TSSA-registered contractor. If the old one is leaking, we can be there today.
Natural draft sits at the low end, power vent at the high end. Which one you need is the real question, and it's the one we'd rather answer honestly than cheaply.
Natural draft or power vent?
A natural draft tank is the old standard: a standing pilot, a thermocouple, and exhaust that rises up a chimney on its own. A power vent tank has a fan on top that pushes the exhaust out through a PVC pipe to the side of the house. The power vent is the more efficient of the two, and it doesn't depend on a chimney.
If you have a natural draft tank now, our recommendation is to upgrade. At minimum to a power vent, and if the budget allows, to tankless. The efficiency difference is real, and once you're paying for a power vent tank, tankless is only a few hundred dollars more.
There are two situations where we'll keep natural draft, and we'll tell you if you're in one of them.
- You want hot water during a power outage. A natural draft tank runs on a thermocouple. No electricity, no problem. A power vent tank is dead the moment the power is. Some customers decide that matters more than efficiency, and that's a fair call.
- There's no practical way to vent outside. A power vent needs a straight shot through an exterior wall above grade. We had a townhome last year with a finished basement so far below grade that getting a vent out meant either going up through the main floor or digging down to the foundation from outside, coring through, running the pipe up through the ground and backfilling. Neither made sense for the customer. They kept natural draft, and that was the right answer for that house.
What's included
- The tank, sized to your household, from Rheem, Bradford White, A.O. Smith, John Wood or Polaris
- Draining, removal and disposal of your old tank
- Venting: reconnected to the chimney for natural draft, or new PVC to the outside for power vent
- Gas connection and leak check by a G2-licensed technician
- New water connections and a check of the pressure relief valve and drain
- A walkthrough before we leave: the temperature setting, the shutoff, and what to watch for
Is a leaking tank an emergency?
Sometimes. It depends on where the water is going.
If the tank is in a big furnace room with a concrete floor and a drain a few feet away, a small leak is usually not an emergency, and plenty of customers tell us they're fine waiting until tomorrow. If the tank is in a finished space, or near drywall, flooring or things you'd rather not get wet, it's a different conversation, because the cost of the water damage can pass the cost of the tank in a hurry.
We'll ask a few questions on the phone and tell you honestly which situation you're in. But the decision is yours: if you want us out today, we come out today. We do same-day replacements, and a leaking tank is the most common reason we do them.
The brands we install
Rheem, Bradford White, A.O. Smith, John Wood, and Polaris for the high-efficiency end. We don't have a house brand we push. We pick based on the venting, the space, the capacity your household needs, and what's actually in stock the day you need it, and we'll tell you which one we're quoting and why. Same rule as with our furnaces: the install matters more than the badge.
Should you go tankless instead?
If you're already looking at a power vent tank, you're within a few hundred dollars of a tankless unit, which lasts roughly twice as long and never runs out of hot water. That's usually our recommendation when the budget allows and you're staying in the house.
If you need hot water back today and the budget is what it is, a tank is still a perfectly good choice, and nobody from us is going to make you feel otherwise. We laid out the full comparison in our tankless cost guide for Toronto homeowners.
Where we install
Toronto and the GTA, including Scarborough, North York, Etobicoke, East York, Markham, Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Mississauga. If you're on the edge of that, call and ask.
Hot water tank questions we get in Toronto
How much does it cost to replace a hot water tank in Toronto?
We replace gas hot water tanks across Toronto and the GTA for $1,600 to $2,200 installed for a natural draft tank and $2,600 to $3,400 for a power vent tank. That includes the tank, removal and disposal of the old one, venting and the gas connection by a G2-licensed technician.
Is a leaking hot water tank an emergency?
It depends on where the water is going. A tank sitting on a concrete floor next to a floor drain can often wait until the next day. A tank in a finished space, or anywhere the water can reach drywall, flooring or stored belongings, is worth replacing right away. We do same-day replacements, and if you want us out today, we come out today.
Should I replace my natural draft water heater with a power vent?
In most cases, yes. A power vent tank is more efficient and vents through PVC to the outside instead of up a chimney. We keep a natural draft tank only when the customer specifically wants one, usually because it keeps working in a power outage, or when there's no practical way to run a vent directly outside.
Which hot water tank brands do you install?
Rheem, Bradford White, A.O. Smith, John Wood and Polaris. We size the tank to the household and pick the brand that fits the venting and the space, and we will tell you which one we're quoting and why.
Does a natural draft water heater work during a power outage?
Yes. A natural draft tank runs on a thermocouple and a standing pilot, so it keeps heating water with no electricity. A power vent tank needs power for its exhaust fan and will not run in an outage. For some customers that's reason enough to stay with natural draft.
Should I go tankless instead of replacing my tank?
If you are already paying for a power vent tank at $2,600 to $3,400, a tankless unit at $2,800 to $3,800 is a small step up and lasts roughly twice as long. If you need hot water back today on a tight budget, a tank is still the sensible choice. We install both and will give you a straight answer for your house.
Tank leaking, or just old? Call (647) 269-9704 or send us a message with a photo of the tank and the pipes coming off the top, and we'll tell you where you land in the range.