Water Heater Installation in Bothell, WA: Replaced Complete, Vented and Strapped
Done Right Plumbing replaces water heaters across Bothell, on both sides of the county line, from Wayne, Westhill and downtown in King County to Canyon Park in Snohomish County. Every install is complete: both seismic straps, an expansion tank, a pan, the vent checked and connected properly, new water and gas connections, and the old tank hauled away.
Real Work in Bothell
In early September, Jeremy was called to a home in Wayne, on Bothell's south side, where the water heater sits in a closet that opens to the outside of the house. The forty-gallon gas tank, built in 2013, was leaking at its base, and its vent was not properly connected at the top. That second problem was the more serious one: a vent that has come loose can let exhaust, carbon monoxide included, spill out instead of going up the flue, and it was a fire hazard as well. Jeremy took the old heater out on that first visit, so the wet closet floor could dry, and came back the following Monday to check the floor and the closet before installing the new one. In went a forty-gallon Rheem gas heater with a new thermal expansion tank and a drip pan, the seismic straps reinstalled, new water and gas connections, and the atmospheric vent reconnected properly at the top. The heater carries the manufacturer's six-year warranty and our two-year warranty on parts and labor.
What Makes a Bothell Water Heater Job Different
One city, two counties
Bothell straddles the line between King County and Snohomish County. Inside the city limits, on either side, permits come from the City of Bothell through MyBuildingPermit, the online portal it shares with Kirkland, Bellevue and other nearby cities. The city limits do not follow the mailing addresses, though: the 98012 and 98021 ZIP codes reach beyond Bothell into unincorporated Snohomish County around Canyon Park, where the county issues the permit instead. We check which side of the line a house is on before we quote.
Outdoor closets and garages
Not every Bothell heater lives in a basement. Some sit in a garage, and some, as in Wayne, in a closet that opens to the outside of the house. Those spots bring their own checks. A closet needs its vent, its combustion air and its door clearances right, and a heater that has been leaking has usually wet the floor beneath it, which is why Jeremy let the Wayne closet dry for a weekend before setting the new tank on it.
Seattle's soft water, for most of the city
The City of Bothell runs its own water utility and buys its water from Seattle Public Utilities, and the Northshore Utility District, which serves other parts of Bothell, buys from Seattle too. That water is very soft, about one to two grains per gallon, so tanks on it rarely fail from scale. They fail from age, when the steel behind the glass lining finally gives out, usually after ten to fifteen years. The Wayne tank was nearly thirteen years old.
Our Process
1. Send a photo of the label
A picture of the old heater and its rating plate tells us the fuel, the size and the venting, and what has to change to bring the install up to the current standard.
2. Make the old one safe
A leaking tank gets shut off and drained, and a gas heater with a loose vent gets turned off until it is fixed. If the floor under it is wet, it may need to dry before the new heater goes in, as it did in Wayne.
3. Pull the right permit
City of Bothell inside the city limits, the county outside them, with the fee in the quote.
4. Install it complete
Straps, expansion tank, pan, relief discharge, new water and gas connections, and a vent connected the way the manufacturer and the code intend.
5. Leave it documented
The old unit goes with us, the install date goes on the heater, and the inspection closes the permit so the record stays with the house.
FAQs About Water Heater Installation in Bothell
Do I need a permit to replace a water heater in Bothell?
Plan on one. Replacing a water heater is permitted work rather than a simple repair, and inside the city limits the permit comes from the City of Bothell through MyBuildingPermit. A Bothell mailing address outside the city, common in parts of 98012 and 98021, goes to the county instead. We confirm which applies and include it in the quote.
What does a water heater replacement cost in Bothell?
Most like-for-like tank replacements in our area, forty or fifty gallons with the straps, expansion tank, pan, permit and disposal included, have landed between $2,600 and $3,600. Moving to tankless costs two to three times as much. In Bothell, what moves the number most is the venting, the space around the heater and any floor damage from a leaking tank.
Is it safe to keep using a gas water heater whose vent has come loose?
No. The vent carries the heater's exhaust, carbon monoxide included, up and out of the house, and if it has slipped off the top of the tank that exhaust can spill into the room or the closet. Turn the heater's gas control off and call us, and if anyone in the house feels unwell, get outside and call 911.
The Wayne heater above had exactly this problem, and reconnecting the vent properly was as important as replacing the leaking tank.
Should I replace my Bothell water heater with a heat pump unit?
It depends on where the heater lives. A heat pump water heater needs room around it, air it can draw heat from and a drain for its condensate, so a garage or a basement suits it and a small closet does not. It costs more up front, uses far less electricity, and often qualifies for a utility rebate.
How quickly can you get to Bothell from your Lynnwood shop?
Bothell is next door to our shop on 204th Street SW in Lynnwood, usually ten to fifteen minutes away outside rush hour by I-405 or the Bothell-Everett Highway. A leaking tank or a heater with a vent problem goes to the top of the board, and the common tank sizes ride on the truck.
Serving Bothell From Our Lynnwood Shop
We work all of Bothell, from Canyon Park and the Bothell-Everett Highway corridor on the Snohomish County side to downtown, Westhill, Maywood Hills, Norway Hill and Wayne in King County, and we check where the city limits fall on every job.
Why Bothell Homeowners Choose Done Right
We treat a water heater as an installation, not a delivery. The straps, the expansion tank, the pan and a properly connected vent are part of the job, not extras that appear when the inspector does, and the technician who quotes the work is on the crew that does it. Our two-year installation warranty sits on top of whatever the manufacturer offers on the tank.
Licensed, Bonded & Insured
WA Contractor License #DONERRP852N5
Done Right Plumbing is licensed, bonded and insured in Washington State, family-owned since 2011, with twelve technicians working out of our Lynnwood shop.
Call for a Bothell Water Heater Estimate
Water at the base of the tank, rust on the jacket, a vent that looks loose, or a heater past its tenth birthday? Call for a free estimate, or request a callback and we will reach you at a time that works.