Same or next day service
Water Heater Replacement in Bryan & College Station
Ramon Service Company replaces gas and electric water heaters in Bryan and College Station, usually within a day or two of the quote, with the venting, pan and expansion tank brought to current code and the old unit hauled away.
- We answer the phone
- We show up when we said, and call if that changes
- Three options, explained and priced before anything starts
When it is worth replacing rather than repairing
Replacing a water heater is an expense nobody plans for, and it tends to announce itself at the worst possible moment.
The tank is leaking from the bottom
Potentially severe
Nothing on the outside fixes a tank that has rusted through from the inside. This is the one that makes the decision for you, and it won’t stop on its own.
A second repair inside a year
One repair on a sound tank is usually worth it. A second on the same unit inside twelve months is money going into something that has started failing rather than something that broke.
It is past ten years old
Eight to twelve years is the working life of a tank here, and less if it was never flushed. Past ten, a repair tends to buy you months rather than years.
Rusty water from the hot side only
The anode rod is spent and the tank lining has started to go. Cold water running clear is what confirms it is the heater and not the supply.
It runs out sooner than it used to
Often sediment taking up the room the water should be in, rather than a fault as such. Worth looking at before you assume the unit is finished.
The house has outgrown it
Another bathroom, more people, or a shower that now competes with the dishwasher. Sizing up at replacement time costs very little on top.
Sizing, and why we ask about your mornings
We size to the house: how many bathrooms, how many people, whether anyone runs a shower and the dishwasher at the same time. Undersizing means running out. Oversizing means paying to keep water hot that nobody uses. Neither is a rounding error across ten years of gas bills.
What is included
- Haul-off and disposal of the old unit
- New unit set, connected, and tested
- New flex connectors, shutoff valve, and drain pan where required
- Venting and expansion tank brought to current code if needed
- Temperature set, and the shutoff shown to you before we leave
If you are also getting a price from a big box store
Lowe’s and Home Depot both sell installed water heaters, and for a straightforward swap in an accessible garage they’re worth a quote. What their number usually does not include is worth knowing before you compare:
- Code updates. Expansion tank, drain pan, venting and a proper shutoff, where the current install predates the requirement.
- Anything unusual about the space. Attic and closet installs, tight access, or a unit that has to be carried up stairs.
- The permit, where the city wants one.
- Who comes back. A subcontracted install means the person who fitted it isn’t necessarily the person you reach if something is wrong in a fortnight.
We aren’t always cheaper. We’ll tell you when the box store price is a good one.
What we will not do
Quote it over the phone as a flat number. Anyone who does is either padding for the worst case or about to find a reason the price went up once they’re in your garage. We look at the install first, then price it, then you decide.
Thinking about tankless
It’s genuinely better for some houses and a bad deal for others, and the deciding factor is usually what the gas line and venting will support without major surgery. That has its own page, because it’s a different decision with different numbers.
What it costs
$80 service call, waived when you approve the work and we start the same day.
That covers finding out what is actually wrong instead of guessing at it. After that you get three options with a price on each, before anything is touched. Usually within a day or two of the quote. Same day when it needs to be.
What happens when you call
- 01
You reach the company, not a call center
No dispatch queue and no script. Describe what you are seeing and you will get a straight answer on whether it needs a truck today.
- 02
$80 service call
Waived when you approve the work and we start the same day. It pays for finding out what is actually wrong instead of guessing.
- 03
Three options, priced
Written down before anything is touched. Nothing happens until you pick one.
How we quote it
Once we know what is actually wrong you get three options, written down before anything is touched. What fills each one depends on what we find, but the shape is always the same, and every one of them solves the problem you called about. The $80 service call is waived when you approve the work and we start the same day.
- Option 1
The smallest fix that works
The least work that actually solves the problem. What that turns out to be depends on what we find, but it’s always the first thing we price.
Best when: The rest of the fixture is sound and the fault is contained.
- Option 2
Fix it, and what’s next to it
The repair plus the parts around it that are the same age and heading the same way.
Best when: You would rather not be back here in six months.
- Option 3
Replace it
A new fixture or unit, sized to the house and brought to current code.
Best when: Repairs have stopped being economical, or you were going to replace it anyway.
Why it happened
Around here, water condition is what decides how long a tank lasts. Hard water drops sediment to the bottom of the tank and scales the elements, and a tank that was never flushed has been heating through that layer for years. It’s also why the replacement conversation is worth having properly rather than swapping like for like out of habit.
What happens if you wait
A tank leaking from the bottom isn’t going to stop, and it doesn’t always fail politely. If it sits in a garage next to nothing that matters, you have some time. If it sits in a closet or an attic over finished space, the cost of waiting isn’t the heater.
Common questions
- Is there a service charge?
- There’s an $80 service call to find out what’s actually wrong, and it’s waived if you approve the work and we start the same day. That covers finding out what’s actually wrong rather than guessing at it. Once we know, you get three options priced before any work starts, cheapest first, and you pick.
- Do I get a price before you start?
- Yes, in writing, before anything is touched. Three options, cheapest first: fix what’s causing the problem right now, fix the whole area, or replace it. We’ll tell you when the cheap one isn’t enough and why, but we aren’t going to open with the expensive one.
- How long should a water heater last?
- Eight to twelve years for a tank, fifteen to twenty for tankless - less than that here if nobody ever flushed it, because Brazos Valley water leaves sediment on the bottom of the tank and scale on the elements. Past ten years, a second repair on the same unit usually costs more over the following two years than replacing it would have.
- Do you work on rental properties?
- Yes. We work with landlords and property managers across Bryan and College Station, including student rentals near campus. We can coordinate access with tenants, send photos of what we found, and bill the owner directly.
- What if something isn’t right after you leave?
- Call us and we’ll come back and look at it, and there’s no $80 service call when it’s work we did. There’s no warranty certificate to read - what’s fair depends on what failed and why - but we’ll listen, look at what’s actually happening, and work with you toward a fair fix. We’re family owned and Aggie owned, and in a town this size our reputation is the business.
Related services
Same day
Water Heater Repair
No hot water, not enough of it, or a tank that’s leaking. Diagnosed properly, then priced three ways.
Tankless Conversion
Tank-to-tankless conversions, sized to the house and only where the gas line and venting will actually carry it.
Thinking about water heater replacement?
Describe what you are seeing and you will get a straight answer on when we can be there and what it is likely to take. Bryan and College Station.
Answered 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. · Same day