How to tell when a Rinnai RE series unit in Tsawwassen is worth replacing rather than repairing again, and what the swap itself involves.
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Quick answer
A Rinnai RE series unit in Tsawwassen is usually worth replacing once the heat exchanger has failed, the unit is old enough that a second major part failure shows up within a year or two of the last one, or the household's hot water demand has simply outgrown what a non-condensing tankless unit that size can deliver. Replacement is done by a Technical Safety BC licensed gas fitter once permits and any venting changes are sorted out.
Need a licensed gas fitter for your tankless water heater? Call CANRO at (604) 359-1081 — residential natural-gas heating and hot water across Metro Vancouver since 1999.
As a general rule, sensor, igniter, gas valve, and control board faults call for repair, while a failing heat exchanger calls for replacement.
It's a flat, sandy peninsula with a lot of established 1960s and '70s bungalows alongside newer infill, and being this close to the water means salt-laden air is a real, ongoing factor for anything mounted outdoors.
In the simplest scenario, it's a like-for-like swap: identical spot, identical venting path, identical gas line size. Scope increases when the venting needs a code-compliant update, the gas line needs upsizing, or more capacity is on the wish list.
The Corporation of Delta is the permitting authority for Tsawwassen, and exterior vent terminations facing the water here corrode noticeably faster than the same hardware would inland, which is something we flag on every inspection out this way.
Deep cold isn't really a Tsawwassen problem given how close to sea level and the ocean it sits, but the salt air shortens the practical life of exposed metal fittings more than temperature ever does.
Tsawwassen is on the same soft Metro Vancouver water as the rest of Delta, so scale is rarely the culprit behind an RE series fault code out here.
An undescaled old unit is often part of the failure story -- worth arranging a descaling schedule for the replacement based on local water quality.
As a public-market ballpark for 2026 -- not a quote until CANRO's certified technicians assess it -- a tankless installation typically costs $3,500 to $7,500. The range narrows based on whether it's a direct swap, venting or gas-line changes needed, unit capacity, and access.
A short in-home or video assessment is how CANRO gets from that ballpark to an actual quote -- there's no way to price a job like this honestly without seeing the existing setup, the venting path, and the gas line.
The job starts with an assessment -- in person or by photos and video for a preliminary scope -- and a written quote follows once scope is nailed down. Where required, the gas permit is pulled before installation day; the visit itself covers removal, install, gas and venting connections, and a final load test.
A set turnaround isn't part of the promise, since permit processing and model parts availability both affect it -- scope and price are agreed to in writing up front.
Safety note
If you ever smell gas, hear a strong hiss at the unit, or see scorching or soot around the vent terminal, leave the home first and call FortisBC's emergency line at 1-800-663-9911 from outside. Don't try to relight a gas appliance yourself once it has shut itself down on a safety lockout -- that's the unit doing its job, and a licensed gas fitter needs to find out why before it runs again.
In almost all cases, yes -- gas water heater replacements require a permit through the Corporation of Delta, and CANRO handles that as part of the job.
Often, yes, as long as the gas line and venting can support the larger unit's demand -- that's exactly the kind of thing your technician checks during the assessment before quoting.
They're different designs with different venting requirements and different upfront costs; which one makes sense depends on the existing venting, the gas line, and the household's hot water demand, and that's worth discussing during the assessment rather than assuming one is universally better.
CANRO removes and disposes of the old unit as part of a standard installation -- that's included in the scope, not billed separately, unless the removal itself is unusually difficult to access.
Rinnai doesn't publish a guaranteed lifespan and neither will we, but a well-maintained tankless unit with regular descaling generally has a long working life; how long any specific unit lasts depends on water quality, usage, and maintenance history.
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