Water heaters · Selah & Yakima
Water heater repair and replacement: tank, tankless or heat pump
No hot water, a tank weeping at the base, a rumble when it fires. We find out whether it is a repair or a replacement, and say so before anything is unbolted.
Chapter 01
When the tank quits: tank, tankless or heat pump
No hot water, water pooling at the foot of the heater, a rumble when the burner lights: those are the calls. A leak from the tank body is the end of that tank. A dead element, a bad thermostat or a failed gas valve is a repair, and the first job on any visit is working out which one you have.
A tank heater is the plain answer for most houses: a gas or electric tank sized to how many people shower before the first one runs cold. A wall-hung tankless unit takes the tank out of the closet and heats as water is drawn, but it needs a gas line and venting sized for it. A heat pump water heater pulls heat from the air around it and runs on electricity, which suits a basement or utility room with space to breathe.
Burke's installs electric, gas and heat pump tank heaters and wall-hung tankless units, and repairs the ones already on your wall. Sizing is a conversation about your household, not a catalog number.
A new Rheem water heater with a thermal expansion tank, installed by Burke's Plumbing
Heater banks, boilers and the recirculation loop behind them
A kitchen or a packing shed asks more of hot water than a house does, and one heater rarely carries it. The mechanical room pictured on our commercial page runs three Rinnai condensing tankless units on a rack above storage tanks, with insulated, labelled lines.
A recirculation system keeps hot water moving through the building so the tap at the far end of the line does not run cold while someone waits. Burke's installs and services recirculation systems, boilers, tankless banks and the hydraulic heating systems that sit beside them, for restaurants, wineries, offices and retail stores.
Chapter 03
After the install: flush, anode and expansion tank
Sediment settles at the bottom of a tank heater and the heater works harder around it. Flushing the tank clears it. Inside the tank an anode rod gives itself up so the steel does not, and it is worth looking at as the heater ages. The rod is the cheap part you replace so the tank does not become the expensive part.
On a closed plumbing system the heated water has nowhere to expand, which is the job of the thermal expansion tank. The new Rheem in our photo has one, with the install date written on top in marker. When the crew finishes, they show you the shutoff valve, the temperature setting and what the heater should sound like when it is healthy.
Licensed and insured, WA BURKEP*795N5. Open 24 hours: (509) 697-6574.
The water heater ledger
Hot water has been in the Burke job book since the first page.
- 1981
The December 1981 clipping that announced Dick Burke's new plumbing business already lists hot water heaters: he was the area representative for A-O Smith and Bradford White.
- 2025
“Our water heater started leaking, so we called Burke Plumbing. Jeff and Travis were the plumbers, and they provided excellent service. Very professional install and helpful tips and usage instructions were provided. We would highly recommend both of these guys if you need any plumbing service.”
Wesley Root
- 2026
A new Rheem and its expansion tank, with the install date, 6-10-26, written on top in marker. The photo is at the head of this page.
Replacing a heater? The coupons page carries $75.00 off a water heater replacement when the heater and the installation are both provided by Burke Plumbing. If hard water is the trouble, see water softeners and filtration as well.
Left: the tankless bank in a commercial room, from a tighter angle. Right: a wall-hung unit in a utility closet, gas line in yellow and copper below.