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Killeen, Texas · Posted Labor

Tankless Water Heater Install, Honest Labor Price

A tankless water heater install is $950 labor, posted right here. No hidden markup on the heater or the parts. You pay what I pay for materials, or you buy them yourself. The drive to you is a dollar a mile, counted both ways, and you can check it on the homepage gauge before you pick up the phone. That is how a plumbing job should start, with the numbers out in the open.

Call (254) 561-9163 Price your job
The Drive
$1
per mile, both ways
Round trip, out and back. No trip charge, no fuel surcharge, no minimum.
  1. Find your jobIt is on the board with a real number next to it.
  2. Add your milesA dollar a mile, out and back. The gauge does it for you.
  3. Parts at costBuy them yourself or pay what our receipt says.
  4. That is the priceAnything extra gets your yes before it happens.

The Posted Labor for Retrofit

A tankless water heater install is $950 labor, posted as a provisional figure. That is the labor to hang the unit on the wall, connect the water lines, and tie in the existing gas and vent if they happen to be the right size and in the right place. I call it provisional because almost no retrofit is a simple one for one swap. The old tank heater sat on the floor and used a big metal flue. The new tankless mounts on the wall and usually needs a different vent material and often a bigger gas line. The $950 is the starting point, not a guess wrapped up to sound like a final price. You will know what the gas and vent upgrades cost after I put eyes on the house and take measurements. Nobody should quote those blind.

The reason most plumbing shops will not post a tankless labor price is that they want to bundle everything into one big number and bury the material markup inside it. They might charge you a flat rate that looks clean but has the heater marked up forty or fifty points, plus a hidden trip charge, plus a fudge factor for the unknown. I do not work that way. The labor is $950. The tankless unit, the vent kit, the gas pipe, the fittings, the isolation valves, every piece of material is a separate line item at my cost. I hand you the supply house receipt. You can also buy the equipment yourself and I will install it, no attitude and no upcharge.

A tankless install is a full day of work, sometimes a day and a half if the gas line needs a long new run or the vent has to be cored through a wall. The $950 labor holds whether the job takes six hours or ten. I do not tack on extra for a tough pull or a tight attic. The only thing that changes the labor figure is if you add other work from the price board, like a gas line run at $650 labor or a tank flush and service at $150 labor for an existing heater you want to keep in shape. Everything adds up in the open.

  • Tankless water heater install, $950 labor, provisional
  • Gas line run, appliance or grill, $650 labor, provisional
  • Water heater diagnostic, $150 labor, provisional
  • Tank flush and service, $150 labor, provisional
  • Water heater install, tank swap, $450 labor, provisional

Gas and Vent, Quoted After Looking

Gas and vent upgrades are the part of a tankless retrofit that cannot be priced from a picture or a phone call. A tank water heater typically runs on a half inch gas line. Most tankless units need a three quarter inch line, sometimes a full inch if the run is long or other appliances are teed off the same trunk. The existing flue is usually a big metal B vent that goes up through the roof. A tankless uses a sealed combustion vent, often two or three inch PVC or a concentric stainless pipe that goes out a side wall. Moving the vent location, upsizing the gas from the meter, and running a new dedicated line are all labor and material that get quoted after I walk the house.

Other plumbers will give you a phone quote that sounds firm until they show up and find the gas line is undersized. Then the price jumps and you are stuck because they are already there with the old heater drained. I will not do that. I come out first, look at the gas meter, trace the line, check the vent path, and write you a real number for the upgrades. That diagnostic visit is $150 labor if you want a full write up, or we can roll the look into the install deposit. The point is you get a price you can trust before any real work starts.

Some houses need a gas line run from the meter to the new heater location, and that is $650 labor, posted provisional. The pipe and fittings are at cost. Some houses need the gas meter upsized by the utility, which is usually free from the gas company but takes a week or two to schedule. Some houses are better off staying with a tank heater, and I will tell you that straight. A tank swap is $450 labor, with the heater, pan, and expansion tank at cost. I do not push tankless where it does not make sense just to run up a bigger invoice.

The Price Board

Every number here is labor.

Here are the posted labor prices that matter for a tankless job and the alternatives.

Tankless Water Heater Installation

  • Tankless water heater installRetrofit labor. Gas and vent upgrades quoted after we look. $950+ drive
  • Water heater install (tank)Swap-out labor. Heater, pan, and expansion tank at cost. $450+ drive
  • Gas line run (appliance or grill)New run with a pressure test. $650+ drive
  • Water heater diagnosticStraight answer on repair versus replace. $150+ drive
  • Tank flush & serviceSediment flush to buy back capacity and life. $150+ drive

What the drive actually costs you

The drive is one dollar per mile from Killeen, counted both ways, out and back. No trip charge, no fuel surcharge, no minimum. Here is what the drive runs to the towns we work in most.

Harker Heights about 8 miles out, $16 round tripCopperas Cove about 11 miles out, $22 round tripBelton about 20 miles out, $40 round tripSalado about 24 miles out, $48 round tripTemple about 29 miles out, $58 round tripGeorgetown about 45 miles out, $90 round tripRound Rock about 55 miles out, $110 round tripWaco about 60 miles out, $120 round tripAustin about 70 miles out, $140 round trip

Put your address or ZIP into the gauge on the price board and it returns your miles and your drive cost before anybody picks up a phone. Add the jobs you want to your list, then reserve the visit by paying the drive as a deposit. That deposit comes off the final bill. Mileage is an estimate of the drive to you and is confirmed when you book. Parts are not included in the drive number.

The Drive, a Dollar a Mile Both Ways

The drive charge is a dollar a mile, counted both ways from Killeen. That is the round trip number, plain arithmetic. You can type your address or ZIP into the gauge on the homepage and see the miles and the drive dollars before you ever talk to a human. If you are in Harker Heights, that is about 8 miles out and the round trip is $16. Copperas Cove is about 11 miles out, round trip $22. Belton is about 20 miles out, round trip $40. Salado is about 24 miles out, round trip $48. Temple is about 29 miles out, round trip $58. Georgetown is about 45 miles out, round trip $90. Round Rock is about 55 miles out, round trip $110. Waco is about 60 miles out, round trip $120. Austin is about 70 miles out, round trip $140.

I do not hide the trip charge in the labor rate or call it a dispatch fee that magically appears on the final bill. The drive is its own line item, and it works as the deposit to reserve the visit. When you add the tankless install or any other job from the price board to the cart on the homepage, you see the running total, and you pay the drive fee to lock in the date. That deposit comes off the final bill. If the round trip is $40 to Belton, you pay $40 to book, and that $40 is subtracted from the labor and material total when the work is done. It is not an extra fee on top. It is just the first part of the payment.

This system keeps everything honest. A shop that quotes a flat rate to Temple has already baked the drive time and fuel into the number, and they probably rounded it up to the nearest hundred. You never see it and you cannot question it. With Simple Jack Plumbing, you know the drive is $58 round trip to Temple before you call. You know the labor is $950 for the tankless install. You know the heater and the vent kit and the gas pipe are at cost. You can add it all up on your own kitchen table and know within a few dollars what the job will run before I ever set the first tool on the floor.

Tankless Versus Tank, an Honest Comparison

A tankless water heater gives you hot water that never runs out, and it costs less to run month to month because it only fires when you open a tap. A tank heater keeps forty or fifty gallons hot around the clock, and when the tank is empty, you wait. The trade off is upfront cost. A tankless install is $950 labor, and the unit itself runs more than a tank heater. A tank swap is $450 labor, with the heater, pan, and expansion tank at cost. The material cost difference between a good tankless and a good tank heater is usually several hundred dollars, depending on the brand and the vent requirements.

The retrofit factor is where the real cost difference lives. A tank swap is straightforward. Drain the old one, set the new one in the same spot, hook up the water and the gas and the flue, fill and test. The $450 labor covers that. A tankless retrofit often means a new gas line, a new vent run, and sometimes relocating the unit to an outside wall. The gas line run is $650 labor if it is a dedicated new run from the meter. The vent material is at cost, and it is not cheap. I tell people to expect the tankless job to land somewhere above a tank swap when all the material and any upgrade labor are added in, but I never guess a total until I see the house.

I do not talk people out of tankless. I have one in my own house. I am just honest that the payback on energy savings takes years, and the real reason to go tankless is the endless hot water and the space savings. If you have a big family that empties a fifty gallon tank every morning, a tankless changes the whole routine. If you live alone and a tank swap is $450 labor plus a few hundred in materials, that might be the smarter money. I will lay out both paths with real numbers and let you decide. No sales pitch, no pressure.

  • Tankless install, $950 labor, endless hot water, wall mounted
  • Tank swap, $450 labor, simple replacement, heater at cost
  • Gas line run, $650 labor, for upsizing or new dedicated line
  • Tank flush, $150 labor, buys back capacity on an existing heater
  • Diagnostic, $150 labor, straight answer on repair versus replace

Parts at Cost, No Markup Ever

Every part for a tankless install is sold at my cost. The heater itself, the vent kit, the gas pipe, the fittings, the isolation valves, the condensate drain, the mounting bracket, every single item. I do not add a percentage. I do not round up. I hand you the invoice from the supply house and you pay what I paid. If you want to buy the tankless heater yourself from a supplier or online, I will install it. I only ask that you check the spec sheet with me first so we know the gas and vent requirements match what your house can deliver. A wrong unit ordered online is an expensive mistake that I cannot fix.

The standard plumbing markup on materials runs anywhere from thirty to over a hundred points. On a tankless heater that costs the plumber several hundred dollars wholesale, a fifty point markup tacks on a lot of money you never see broken out. They just roll it into the flat rate and call it the price of the job. I think that is a lousy way to treat a customer. You should know what the heater costs, what the vent kit costs, what the labor costs, and what the drive costs. Four numbers, all transparent, all on the invoice.

Some customers worry that at cost parts means I use cheap materials to keep the number low. That misses the point. I do not mark up the materials, so I have zero incentive to push expensive stuff or cheap stuff. I recommend what works and what lasts, and you see the exact price on the supply house ticket. If there is a less expensive option that does the same job, I tell you about it. If the better unit is worth the extra money, I tell you that too. The decision is yours, with real numbers in front of you.

How the Cart and Deposit Work

On the homepage there is a price board with every job I do and a drive gauge where you type your address or ZIP. The gauge tells you the miles and the round trip drive dollars before anyone talks to you. You can add jobs to the cart, see the running total, and when you are ready, you pay the drive fee as a deposit to reserve the visit. That deposit comes off the final bill. It is not an extra charge. If your round trip is $22 to Copperas Cove, you pay $22 to book, and that $22 is subtracted from whatever the job total ends up being.

For a tankless install, you might add the $950 labor to the cart, see the drive dollars populate from the gauge, and pay that drive amount to hold the date. I come out, look at the gas and vent, and write a firm quote for any upgrade labor and material before I turn a wrench. If the gas line run is needed, that is $650 labor added to the cart. The vent material gets added at cost. You see every line item before you commit to the full job. If you decide against the tankless after the look, the deposit covers the diagnostic time and we part ways clean. No hard feelings and no surprise bill.

This is how buying a big plumbing job should work. You know the labor rates. You know the drive cost. You know the parts are at cost. You pay a deposit that comes off the total. You approve the upgrade quote before the work starts. Nothing is hidden and nothing is padded. Call (254) 561-9163 if you want to talk through a tankless install, or just use the cart on the homepage and book the drive. I will show up, tell you the truth, and do the work for the posted price.

Service Area and Drive Dollars

Simple Jack Plumbing is based in Killeen and serves all of Central Texas. The drive is a dollar a mile, counted both ways, no exceptions. Harker Heights is about 8 miles out, round trip $16. Copperas Cove is about 11 miles out, round trip $22. Belton is about 20 miles out, round trip $40. Salado is about 24 miles out, round trip $48. Temple is about 29 miles out, round trip $58. Georgetown is about 45 miles out, round trip $90. Round Rock is about 55 miles out, round trip $110. Waco is about 60 miles out, round trip $120. Austin is about 70 miles out, round trip $140.

Every one of those drive figures is the deposit you pay to book the visit, and every one comes off the final bill. If you are in Georgetown and you need a tankless install, the labor is $950 and the round trip is $90. You pay $90 to book, and that $90 is subtracted from the total. The drive does not change if the job takes one trip or two. If I have to come back to finish something, the return trip is on me. The round trip deposit covers the initial visit and the return home, period.

I do not have a service area boundary where the price suddenly jumps. Some shops draw a circle around town and charge a fat trip fee outside it. My system is a straight line on a map. The miles are the miles. You can measure them yourself on the homepage gauge. No zip code surcharge, no rural markup, no minimum trip. Just a dollar a mile both ways, counted from Killeen.

  • Harker Heights, 8 miles out, round trip $16
  • Copperas Cove, 11 miles out, round trip $22
  • Belton, 20 miles out, round trip $40
  • Temple, 29 miles out, round trip $58
  • Georgetown, 45 miles out, round trip $90
  • Austin, 70 miles out, round trip $140

Straight Answers

Common questions

Why is the tankless install labor provisional?

The $950 labor covers hanging the unit, connecting the water lines, and tying into existing gas and vent that are the right size and in the right spot. Almost no retrofit has the correct gas line and vent already in place. A tank heater uses a half inch gas line and a big metal flue. A tankless usually needs a three quarter inch gas line and a sealed PVC or stainless vent out a side wall. I cannot price those upgrades without seeing the house. I come out, look at the meter, trace the gas line, check the vent path, and write a firm quote for any upgrade labor and material before I start.

Can I buy the tankless heater myself?

Yes. You can buy the heater, the vent kit, the gas pipe, any or all of the materials. I will install customer supplied equipment with no upcharge and no attitude. The only thing I ask is that you let me check the spec sheet before you order. A tankless unit needs to match your gas service and your vent situation. Buying the wrong unit online is a costly headache. Send me the model number and I will tell you if it will work in your house. If you prefer I supply everything, you pay my exact cost from the supply house and I hand you the receipt.

How does the deposit work for a tankless install?

You go to the homepage, type your address in the drive gauge, and see the round trip miles and dollars. Add the tankless install from the price board to the cart. The running total shows the labor plus the drive. You pay the drive amount as a deposit to reserve the date. That deposit comes off the final bill. If your round trip is $40 to Belton, you pay $40 to book, and $40 is subtracted from the total. I come out, do the look, and quote any gas or vent upgrades. You approve the full quote before I start the work.

Is tankless worth the extra cost over a tank swap?

That depends on your household. A tankless gives you endless hot water and saves space on the wall. It costs more upfront. The labor is $950 versus $450 for a tank swap. The unit itself costs more, and the retrofit often needs gas and vent upgrades. The energy savings are real but they take years to pay back the difference. If you have a big family that runs out of hot water now, tankless changes your daily life. If you live alone or the budget is tight, a tank swap at $450 labor plus the heater at cost is the smarter move. I will walk you through both options with real numbers.

What if the gas line or vent is wrong for tankless?

That is common. Most tank heaters run on a half inch gas line. Most tankless units need three quarter inch or larger. The vent usually has to move from the roof to a side wall. I quote the gas line run at $650 labor if a new dedicated line is needed from the meter. The vent material is at cost. I write the upgrade quote after I look at the house, never before. If the total is more than you want to spend, we can switch to a tank swap at $450 labor or just do the diagnostic at $150 labor and part ways. No pressure and no surprise charges.

More Posted Prices

Other jobs on the board

Ready When You Are

Call it in or price it yourself.

Call or text (254) 561-9163 and say what is going on. Or build your list on the price board, pay the drive as a deposit to hold the visit, and it comes off the final bill.

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