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Water Heaters · InstallElectric Water Heater Installation
Electric water heater installation is the simplest tank job there is: no gas line, no vent and no combustion air, only water connections and a dedicated 240-volt circuit sized to the element wattage. A gas or electric tank water heater runs $1,200–$2,500 installed. The trade-off is recovery: an electric tank reheats at roughly half the rate of a gas one, so a household of four or more should size up to 50 or 60 gallons.
The circuit is checked before the tank is ordered. Residential tanks carry two elements that take turns, typically 3,000 or 4,500 watts each, on a dedicated two-pole 240-volt breaker: a 3,000-watt tank is normally on a 20-amp circuit and a 4,500-watt tank on a 30-amp circuit with heavier cable. A new tank with bigger elements on the old, smaller circuit trips the breaker or overheats the wire. Any new or altered circuit is work for a licensed electrical contractor under ESA rules; a like-for-like swap reconnects to the existing circuit once the breaker and cable are confirmed against the nameplate.
Size by people and by recovery. As a working rule, 40 gallons serves one or two people, 50 gallons three or four, and 60 gallons or more a larger family or a soaker tub. A 4,500-watt element recovers about half as fast as a 40,000 BTU gas burner, so an electric tank leans on stored volume. When in doubt go one size up, and see what size tank water heater you need.
With no venting or gas work, the remaining details are on the water side. Where the house has a backflow preventer or a pressure-reducing valve, heated water has nowhere to expand and an expansion tank is required. A thermostatic mixing valve lets the tank store water at 60°C, hot enough to control Legionella, while delivering 49°C to the taps, the Ontario Building Code limit for scald protection. In a finished basement, a closet or an upper floor the tank sits in a drain pan piped to a drain.
Electric tanks are common where gas is not: condos, townhouses, and rural homes around Kilbride, Lowville, Campbellville, Carlisle and rural Caledon that no gas main reaches. On a private well, sediment and hardness bury the lower element first, so an old tank that runs lukewarm may need an element and not a replacement, which is electric water heater repair. One installation rule matters more than any other: the tank is filled and the air purged at a hot tap before the breaker goes on, because an element energized dry burns out in seconds.
Replace the electric tank when
- Water is seeping from the tank body or the bottom seam, not from a fitting or valve
- It is past the usual 8–12 year life and needs elements or thermostats again
- Hot water runs rusty, or the tank rumbles from sediment baked onto the lower element
- The breaker keeps tripping and an element has shorted to the tank on an old unit
- The household has grown and the tank runs out every day
How it works
We read the old nameplate, the breaker size and the cable gauge, measure the space, and check whether the tank is owned or rented. If the new tank needs a bigger circuit, that is priced before installation day, not found on it.
Power is switched off at the breaker and proven dead at the tank, the old tank is drained and removed, and the new one is set in its pan. Water lines, the relief-valve discharge pipe and any expansion tank or mixing valve are connected.
The tank is filled and air is bled at a hot tap, joints are checked for leaks, and only then is the breaker switched on. We set the thermostats, check the current draw on each element and take the old tank away. For a price, request a written quote.
Common questions
What size breaker and wire does an electric water heater need?
It follows the element wattage on the nameplate. A tank with 3,000-watt elements is normally on a 20-amp two-pole breaker; a 4,500-watt tank needs a 30-amp breaker and heavier cable. The circuit is dedicated, 240 volts, with nothing else on it. Never upsize a breaker to stop nuisance trips, because the cable sets the limit. Circuit changes go to a licensed electrical contractor.
How long does an electric water heater installation take?
A like-for-like swap usually takes a few hours: draining the old tank is the slow part, then the swap, the fill and the testing. After that the new tank needs an hour or more to heat a full load from cold, longer than a gas tank. Adding a circuit, an expansion tank or a pan with a new drain line extends the visit.
Is an electric tank cheaper to install than gas?
The tank is in the same $1,200–$2,500 installed band, and electric avoids venting and gas piping, so it is usually the cheaper installation where the 240-volt circuit already exists. Running cost depends on your utility's rates and plan. If the circuit has to be built from the panel, get the electrician's price before deciding. Other options are on our water heater services page.
Do I need an expansion tank and a mixing valve?
An expansion tank is needed when the plumbing is a closed system, meaning a backflow preventer, check valve or pressure-reducing valve stops heated water pushing back into the main; a relief valve that drips after each heating cycle is the sign. A mixing valve is fitted where the tank stores hotter than the 49°C allowed at the taps. See whether you need an expansion tank.
Should I look at a heat pump water heater instead?
If the tank stands in a basement with open space around it, yes. A heat pump water heater moves heat from the room air into the tank and uses a fraction of the electricity of resistance elements. It costs more to buy, needs a condensate drain and cools the room slightly, and it often reuses the existing 240-volt circuit.