- BBB A+ Rated
- Mesquite Chamber of Commerce Member
- 30+ Years Experience
Water Heaters in Plano, TX
James Armstrong Plumbing has installed, repaired, and replaced water heaters across the Dallas metro since 1995. James Armstrong is a licensed Master Plumber. BBB A+ accredited, 4.8 stars on Google, licensed and insured.
No hot water, rust-colored water, a rumbling tank, or a puddle on the floor? Call 214-918-6109.
Before you call anybody, though, read the next two sections. One of them may save you a few thousand dollars.
Same-Day Service — Call Before Noon • Most calls are answered within 15 minutes
Licensed Master Plumber
License #M39428
The “Armstrong Clean Promise".
We leave your home cleaner than we found it, or we pay for the cleaning. No mess, no stress — that's our guarantee.
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Our Services
Comprehensive Plumbing Solutions for Homes & Businesses
Plumbing Repairs and Installation
Get fast help from a trusted plumber in the DFW for leaks, fixture installs, and upgrades. We restore your plumbing with smooth, reliable work.
Water Heater Services
From quick fixes to full replacements, our water heater services in Dallas-Fort Worth, keep your hot water steady. We work on all standard and tankless models.
Drain Cleaning Services
Stubborn clogs disappear with our drain-cleaning solutions in Texas. We clear the buildup fully so your drains flow the way they should.
Sewer Line Plumbing
Our team handles sewer line plumbing in the DFW , with careful inspection and precise repairs. We keep wastewater moving safely away from your home.
Gas Line Plumbing
Safe and reliable gas line plumbing in the DFW, is just a call away. Whether it’s a leak, repair, or new line, we follow strict safety standards.
Emergency Service
Emergency Service — Available 24/7
Burst pipe? Major leak? Don’t wait. Our emergency team serves the entire DFW area around the clock.
Technician available now
Proudly partnered with leading brands
Meet James Armstrong
Meet the Master Plumber Serving DFW: James Armstrong
James Armstrong has been a Mesquite-resident Master Plumber since 1995. What began as helping neighbors fix leaky faucets turned into a career — and eventually a family business, built on one simple rule: treat people right, do the job with integrity, and always stand behind your work. Today, James and his crew serve Mesquite, Rowlett, Sachse, Garland, and the broader east DFW metro, with most calls dispatched and on-site within 25 minutes of the Mesquite headquarters at 844 Dalworth Dr.
“In thirty years working Rowlett, Garland, and the Lake Ray Hubbard side of the metro, the drain calls almost always come down to two things: tree roots in the older Rowlett neighborhoods near the lake, and grease and hair buildup in the newer developments off Liberty Grove and Schrade Road. We camera-inspect first, then choose hydro-jetting or snaking based on what we actually see — not on what gets you to the highest invoice.”
James Armstrong, Master Plumber • Texas License M-39428 • Founder, James Armstrong Plumbing
Every job comes with the Armstrong Clean Promise — we leave your home cleaner than we found it, guaranteed. No excuses, no mess, no shortcuts. It’s the kind of commitment that’s earned us thousands of repeat customers and a reputation across the DFW metroplex for honest, reliable work.
Why Choose Us
Why Plano Homeowners Call Us
Licensed & Certified Technicians
James Armstrong holds Texas Master Plumber License M-39428 with a gas endorsement. Gas water heaters are combustion appliances. Venting, draft, and gas sizing are not optional details, and they are exactly where an unlicensed installer gets somebody hurt.
Transparent, Upfront Pricing
Including the access surcharge, if there is one. Especially the access surcharge.
Fast & Friendly Service
Thirty years of North Texas. We know what this water does to a tank and what an attic in August does to a unit's lifespan.
The Armstrong Clean Promise
Floor protection, shoe covers, and a meticulous cleanup on every job. If your home isn’t cleaner than we found it, we pay for the cleaning.
5-Star Rated by Homeowners Like You
Local families choose us for reliable plumbing and friendly service. Your comfort, safety, and satisfaction are the reasons we do what we do.
Emergency Response Available
Afterhours and weekend emergency calls accepted. $199 emergency service fee — no surprises. Call (214) 918-6109.
Emergency Calls Accepted After Hours & Weekends as well.
Our Process
What to Expect When You Call
Call or Book Online
Speak with a real person, not a call center. We schedule at your convenience.
Same-Day Inspection
A licensed plumber evaluates your issue on-site. No guesswork.
Upfront Quote
You approve the price before work begins. The number you see is final.
Clean, Expert Work
Armstrong Clean Promise — we leave your home better than we found it.
Follow-Up Guarantee
We check in within 24 hours and follow up to ensure everything holds.
Free estimate · No obligation · Real person answers
Customer Reviews
What Our Customers Say
Service Areas
Serving Communities Across Dallas-Fort Worth
- Allen
- Anna
- Arlington
- Azle
- Balch Springs
- Bedford
- Benbrook
- Blue Mound
- Blue Ridge
- Burleson
- Celina
- Colleyville
- Combine
- Dallas
- Everman
- Fairview
- Farmersville
- Flower Mound
- Forest Hill
- Fort Worth
- Frisco
- Garland
- Grand Prairie
- Plano
- Richardson
- Rowlett
- Sunnyvale
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From Our Blog
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How to Choose a Trusted Plumber for Common Home Plumbing Problems
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions? We’ve got answers. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Give us a call anytime.
A tank replacement runs $1,200 to $3,500 depending on size, fuel type, and access. A tankless installation runs $2,500 to $6,500, and if the gas line needs upsizing, add $500 to $1,500. Attic installs cost more than garage installs because of the labor to get the old unit down and the new one up. We quote the number in writing before we start, access surcharge included.
Eight to twelve years for a tank. Fifteen to twenty for a tankless that gets descaled annually. North Texas water is hard enough that skipping maintenance shortens both numbers.
Usually not. That is sediment on the bottom of the tank, and water is boiling underneath it. A flush often fixes it. If the noise persists after a flush, or if the unit is already past ten years, the sediment has been cooking the tank bottom for a while and it is closer to the end than the beginning.
It depends on where it is coming from. If it is coming from a fitting, a valve, or the T&P discharge pipe, that is a repair and it can usually wait until business hours. If it is coming from the tank body itself, the tank has failed and it will get worse. If the unit is in your attic, treat that as an emergency, shut the cold water supply valve on top of the unit, and call us.
If it is in a garage and it is healthy, no rush. If it is in an attic and it is over eight years old, seriously consider it. A planned replacement costs $1,200 to $3,500. An attic tank that fails on its own costs that plus a ceiling, and the ceiling is usually the bigger number.
It depends on how long you are staying. Tankless costs roughly twice as much up front and lasts roughly twice as long, so the math only works if you are keeping the house. ENERGY STAR puts the energy savings at up to about 34 percent. If you are selling in three years, put a tank in and keep the difference. If you are staying fifteen years and you have gas capacity, tankless is worth a real conversation.
Once a year for a tank, once a year for a tankless descale. North Texas water leaves scale, and on a tankless unit the scale collects directly on the heat exchanger, which is the expensive part. Annual descaling is not upselling. It is the difference between a unit that lasts eighteen years and one that lasts eight.
Usually a spent anode rod. The anode is a sacrificial metal rod inside the tank that corrodes so the tank does not. When it is used up, the tank starts corroding instead. If we catch it in time, replacing the rod buys you years. If the tank is already rusting through, it is too late for the rod.
Most often a failing thermocouple, which is a cheap part. But if the pilot outage comes with soot around the unit, a burnt smell, or a yellow flame instead of blue, stop. That is a combustion or venting problem, not a pilot problem, and a gas appliance that is not venting correctly puts carbon monoxide in your house. Call us and get a CO detector in the meantime.
Yes. Water heater replacement is permitted work in Plano and in every surrounding city. We pull it. An unpermitted install can cause you problems at resale and it can void the manufacturer warranty. If a contractor offers to skip the permit to save you money, that is a contractor telling you something about himself.
If you call before noon on a weekday, usually yes. We are not a 24-hour company. After-hours and weekend calls carry a flat $199 dispatch fee, quoted before we come.
No. The federal 25C energy efficiency tax credit ended December 31, 2025. Any contractor still quoting you a federal credit on a 2026 install is working from outdated information. Check with your utility about local rebates, which are separate and may still exist.
Comparison
Repair or Replace: How We Actually Decide
We do not sell tanks for a living. We fix things. Here is the honest framework.
| Situation | Our recommendation | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Unit under 8 years, no hot water | Repair | Usually a thermocouple, heating element, or thermostat. A few hundred dollars on a unit with years left. |
| Unit under 8 years, pilot will not stay lit | Repair | Thermocouple or gas valve. Not a tank problem. |
| Rumbling or popping noise, unit otherwise fine | Flush first, then decide | That is sediment boiling under the burner. A flush often fixes it. |
| Rusty or brown hot water | Check the anode rod | If the anode is spent but the tank is still sound, replacing the rod can add years. If the tank is already rusting through, it is done. |
| Water leaking from the tank body itself | Replace. Immediately. | A tank leaking from the body is failing. There is no repair. It will get worse, not better. |
| Water leaking from a fitting or valve | Repair | That is a connection, not the tank. |
| Unit over 12 years, needing a second repair | Replace | You are throwing money at a unit that is already past its expected life. |
| Unit over 8 years in an attic | Lean replace | The downside risk of a failure is your ceiling. The math is different up there. |
| Pilot outage plus a burnt smell or soot | Stop. Call us. | That is a combustion problem, not a hot water problem. See the safety section below. |
| Not enough hot water, unit healthy | Resize, do not replace | You may have outgrown the tank. That is a sizing conversation, not a repair. |
If a $250 part will get you five more good years, we will tell you to buy the part.
Tank or Tankless: The Honest Comparison
Tankless is not automatically better. It is better for some houses and a waste of money in others.
| Tank | Tankless | |
|---|---|---|
| Install cost | $1,200 to $3,500 | $2,500 to $6,500 |
| Expected life | 8 to 12 years | 15 to 20 years |
| Hot water supply | Limited to tank capacity | Continuous |
| Recovery | Runs out, then refills slowly | No recovery period |
| Energy use | Standby loss (it heats water all day whether you use it or not) | Heats only on demand. ENERGY STAR puts savings at up to about 34 percent. |
| Space | Takes a closet or an attic footprint | Wall-mounted, compact |
| Gas line | Usually fine as-is | Often needs upsizing. $500 to $1,500. |
| Venting | Standard flue | Usually needs new stainless or PVC venting |
| Maintenance | Annual flush | Annual descale, and it is not optional in North Texas |
| Failure mode | Can dump its whole volume | No stored volume to dump |
| Best for | Steady predictable demand, budget-first replacement, garage installs | High simultaneous demand, long-term ownership, attic installs where stored volume is a liability |
The honest read: if you are replacing a failed unit tomorrow and you plan to sell the house in three years, put a tank in. If you are staying fifteen years, have gas capacity, and the unit is in the attic, tankless is worth the conversation.
We will not push you toward the more expensive one. We install both.