Commercial Water Heater Repair Chicago

Your business runs on hot water. We get it back.

Repair, replacement and emergency service for restaurants, laundromats, salons and apartment buildings: gas tanks to 100 gallons and up, high-input units and racked tankless systems, from a specialist working since 2003.

Call (312) 661-2770 Request a Commercial Quote

On site in 1 to 2 hours, 24/7 for businesses

✶✶✶✶ Perfect 5.0 across 350+ Google reviews

Since 2003

Water heaters only

A.O. Smith · Bradford White · Rheem · Rinnai

New 100 gallon A.O. Smith commercial gas water heater installed by HWHR in a Chicago basement

100

gallon install
See the job below

Commercial Water Heater Service

What’s going on with your hot water?

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶

Pick the one that fits. Each path gets you to the right next step fastest.

Right now

No hot water at your business

A kitchen, laundry or building that has gone cold. Call and a technician takes it from there.

Call (312) 661-2770

Answered 24/7, nights and weekends included

This week

Leaking, failing or running out

A tank that leaks, trips, short-cycles or can’t keep up with demand. We diagnose water heater issues on site and put the price in writing first.

Call (312) 661-2770

or send a service request

Planned

Planning a replacement or upgrade

A unit past 10 years, more capacity, or a switch to condensing under the 2026 DOE rule. Get a quote on your schedule.

Request a Commercial Quote

How the 2026 DOE rule affects a replacement

Manage a building or several locations? How we work with property managers

Water Heater Repair Process

What happens after you call

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶

Downtime costs a business money by the hour. Here is each step, from your call to a working unit.

1

Call answered

A specialist picks up, 24/7 for business calls.

2

On site in 1 to 2 hours

A licensed plumber who works only on water heaters, with the parts most repairs need. Typical arrival 1 to 2 hours

3

Written price first

We find the cause and put the price in writing before any work starts. The number you approve is the number on the invoice.

4

Back in service

Most repairs finish the same visit. A replacement goes in within 1 to 2 days.

Old A.O. Smith commercial gas water heater with rust streaks down the tank in a Chicago basement before replacement New 100 gallon A.O. Smith commercial gas water heater installed by HWHR in a Chicago basement

100 Gallon Water Heater Install

A 100 gallon install, start to finish

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶

Rust was running down the front of this Rogers Park building’s old A.O. Smith tank, from the fittings to the burner. We replaced it with a new 100 gallon A.O. Smith commercial unit.

Equipment

100 gallon gas A.O. Smith commercial

Building

10 unit HOA building, Rogers Park

Time on site

3 to 4 hours

Installed range

$13,000 to $15,000

Read the case study: 100 gallon commercial water heater installation

Commercial Water Heater Types

Systems we repair, replace and install

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶

Water heating is the only thing we work on, and has been since 2003. You get a specialist, not a general plumber.

Gas tanks

Atmospheric, power-vent and high-input tanks, including 100 gallon units. Failed burners and controls, sediment buildup and routine water heater maintenance.

Electric tanks

Large electric tanks for buildings without gas service, or where venting a gas unit isn’t practical.

Tankless systems

Single and racked units for steady, high demand. Descaling, repair and new installs.

Commercial tankless water heaters

New installs and upgrades

Like-for-like swaps, capacity upgrades and condensing conversions, scheduled around your hours.

Commercial water heater replacement and installation

Brands we install and service

Bradford White water heaters
Rheem water heaters

Installed Cost by System

What businesses pay, installed

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶

Ranges by system type, so you can budget before we arrive. Your written price comes after we see the job.

System

Installed range

Gas tank

Commercial-grade, 100 gallons

$13,000 to $15,000

Condensing gas tank

PVC venting and condensate drain

$15,000 to $17,000

Tankless

Per unit

$6,000 to $6,800

Recent job: a 100 gallon gas install that came in at the low end of the $13,000 to $15,000 range.

What moves the number

BTU input Condensing venting Gas line size After-hours timing

Request Service in Chicago

Tell us what’s going on

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶

Send the details and a specialist calls you back the same business day. Down right now? Calling is faster.

(312) 661-2770

1

We call you back to confirm the unit, the building and access.

2

We book a visit around your hours: before opening, after close or right away.

3

On site, you get a written price before any work starts.

Request a quote

Five required fields. Takes about a minute.

We use your details only to respond to this request.

Commercial Services by Industry

Sized and scheduled around your business

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶

A restaurant and a 40-unit building put different demands on a tank. We size, schedule and bill each job to fit.

Restaurants

Most high-temperature dish machines need a 180 degree final rinse to sanitize. We size for the lunch and dinner rush.

Laundromats

Long run times and back-to-back loads. We size recovery so the last wash of the day runs as hot as the first.

Salons and spas

Steady demand all day at the shampoo bowls and treatment rooms, where a cold rinse loses a client.

Apartment and condo buildings

Tenant notice, building access and several units in one visit, from two-flats to high-rises.

  • Certificate of insurance on request
  • W-9 on file
  • One invoice to your management company

2026 DOE Condensing Rule

Replacing a commercial gas water heater after October 6, 2026

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶

The short answer

From October 6, 2026, new gas storage water heaters built for business use must reach 95% thermal efficiency, a level only condensing models meet. Smaller residential-duty units follow a separate standard. DOE has paused enforcement until October 2027, so some non-condensing stock is still sold. If your unit fails in that window, ask which type you are getting and what the venting will cost before you approve the job.

What it means in an older building

  • New ventingCondensing units vent through PVC, not the old metal flue.
  • A condensate drainThe unit makes water that needs a drain, often with a neutralizer.
  • The masonry chimneyIf a boiler shares it, the chimney may need a liner once the water heater comes off.
  • The cost differenceCondensing costs more installed than a standard tank; both ranges are in the price table above. The gap is mostly the new venting and drain.

Read: the 2026 DOE rule, explained for business owners

Frequently Asked Questions

Straight answers for business owners

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶

If it is leaking, shut off the cold supply line to the tank and turn off its gas or power. Keep clear of the discharge pipe, since it can scald. Then call (312) 661-2770 with a photo of the rating plate and any error code or flashing light, so the technician brings the right parts on the first trip.

Not for long. The Chicago Food Code Rules require at least 100°F at every handwashing sink and a hot water system that meets peak demand, and both are priority items an inspector cites. Check with the Department of Public Health before serving on a workaround, and call (312) 661-2770 so the repair starts now.

Fix it when a part fails on a sound tank: thermostats, gas controls, igniters, elements and anode rods are built to be swapped. Replace when the tank itself leaks, when the unit is near the 10 year average life DOE uses for gas storage models, or when the fix would cost more than half of a new one. You get both prices in writing.

Where the leak starts tells you most of it. A dripping relief valve usually means pressure is building in a closed system with no thermal expansion tank, which A.O. Smith requires on every closed system. Drips at the drain or a fitting are simple fixes. Seepage from the tank body or base means the steel has corroded through, and that tank needs to be replaced.

DOE’s analysis for its 2023 standards uses an average life of 10 years for gas storage units in this class. Heavy daily draw, hard water and skipped flushing all shorten it. Past about 10 years, we price the fix and a new unit side by side before you spend money on an old tank.

A.O. Smith’s manual for its commercial gas models calls for draining and flushing the tank every 6 months to clear the scale that settles on the bottom, and for checking the anode rod by year three, then every year after. Hard water builds scale faster, so busy kitchens and laundromats should hold to that schedule.

Hot Water Heater Repair Chicago

Is your water heater down? Call now.

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶

Call (312) 661-2770 Request a Commercial Quote

Family owned and operated · water heaters only, since 2003 · 33 ZIP codes in Chicago, IL · Open 24/7

  • Rheem water heater installation.
  • Rheem tankless water heater installation.
  • Rheem water heater installation.
  • Rheem tankless water heater installation.