Water Heater Sales & Installation in Nanaimo
P3 Mechanical & Electrical supplies and installs new water heaters across Nanaimo and central Vancouver Island — storage tanks, tankless units, and heat pump models, gas and electric, for homes and businesses. A like-for-like replacement is usually completed in a single day, and every job starts with a written quote once we have seen where the unit has to go instead of a price over the phone.
Tank, tankless, or heat pump
There are three real choices and they suit different households. A storage tank is the cheapest to buy and the simplest to swap, and it still makes sense where the old one sits in a tight closet. Tankless suits homes that run out of hot water — it heats on demand, frees the floor space, and outlasts a tank, but it wants a gas line sized for it or a substantial electrical supply, and descaling where the water is hard. A heat pump water heater uses roughly a third of the electricity of a conventional electric tank, which makes it the cheapest of the three to run and the one the provincial rebate programs are built around.
What decides the job is rarely the unit itself. Heat pump models need air volume around them — a mechanical room rather than a hall closet — plus a condensate drain and usually a dedicated circuit, and they blow cool air into whatever room they sit in. Gas models are decided by venting: a direct-vent or power-vent unit can go where an atmospheric one cannot, and an old tank sharing a chimney with a furnace has to be re-vented if that furnace is ever replaced with a high-efficiency one. In BC this is plumbing work, and gas fitting as well when the appliance burns gas, so venting, the gas connection, and the water side are one scope rather than three trades.
What's included
- Sizing based on how many fixtures actually draw hot water at once, not on the size of the old tank
- Supply and installation of storage tank, tankless, and heat pump water heaters, in gas and electric
- Removal and disposal of the old unit
- New shutoff, expansion tank, relief valve discharge, and dielectric connections where they are needed
- Venting and gas connection on gas appliances; the condensate drain on heat pump models
- Permit and inspection filed as part of the job, with the CleanBC Better Homes and BC Hydro rebate paperwork
- Commissioning: temperature set, connections checked under pressure, and a full cycle run
Pricing & what's covered
Free estimate
We price the job after an in-home visit, once someone has seen what's there.
- One-year warranty on our labour. Equipment and parts are covered separately, under the supplier's or manufacturer's own warranty.
- Licensed in BC: Gas Contractor licence LGA0207015. We install and service Rinnai, Navien, Bosch, and Rheem equipment.
How it works
Assessment — the space, the existing venting, and your real hot water demand, before a type is recommended.
Written quote — the unit, the installation, and anything the location forces to change, priced before you commit.
Installation — old unit out, new one in, connected, vented, and filled, with the permit filed.
Handover — run up to temperature, controls and maintenance interval explained, rebate paperwork submitted.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a new water heater cost installed in Nanaimo?
We publish no figures, but a like-for-like tank swap is the cheapest of the three options and tankless and heat pump models cost more to buy and more to install. On top of that, venting changes or a gas line upsize add to whichever you choose, and a day of work turns into two. We quote in writing after seeing where the unit has to go.
Should I get a tankless water heater or stay with a tank?
Tankless makes sense if you regularly run out of hot water, want the floor space back, or plan to stay in the house long enough for the longer service life to pay off. A tank is the better buy if the existing one fits a tight closet, the gas or electrical supply would need upgrading, or the water is hard enough that annual descaling would be a chore.
Is a heat pump water heater worth it on Vancouver Island?
For a household on electric hot water, usually yes — it uses roughly a third of the electricity of a conventional electric tank, and the mild climate here suits it, since it pulls heat from the air around it. It needs a mechanical room rather than a closet, a condensate drain, and it will cool the room it sits in, which some people use in a garage and others dislike in a basement.
Can I get a rebate for a heat pump water heater in BC?
CleanBC Better Homes and BC Hydro have both run rebate programs on heat pump water heaters. What they are worth, and who qualifies, changes from one program cycle to the next — so rather than quote you a figure that may already be out of date, we check the current terms when we quote and file the paperwork as part of the job.
Is a water heater a plumbing job or a heating job?
Plumbing — in BC a water heater is installed by a plumber, and by a gas fitter as well when it burns gas, which is why these pages sit under plumbing. Furnaces, boilers, and space-heating heat pumps are a different scope and live under our heating services.
My furnace is being replaced — why does that affect my water heater?
Because older gas water heaters and older furnaces often share one chimney, and the water heater relies on the furnace’s exhaust to keep that flue warm enough to draft. Replace the furnace with a high-efficiency model that vents out a side wall and the water heater is left "orphaned" on an oversized flue, which is a venting problem that has to be solved as part of the same job.
Ready to get it fixed?
Call now, or send us the details online and we'll follow up.