All-Brand Tankless Water Heater Repair in Port Coquitlam
If your tankless water heater is showing an error code, producing lukewarm water, or locking out mid-shower, call Eaton's Heating for a $189 diagnostic across any Port Coquitlam neighbourhood. We work on Navien, Rinnai, Takagi, Noritz, Bosch, Rheem, and every other residential brand. The diagnostic pulls the unit's stored error history, tests the sensors and ignition, and identifies the actual failed component before any part gets replaced. OEM parts, six months of warranty on parts and labour.
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A tankless water heater heats water on demand by firing a burner when a tap opens and shutting down when the flow stops. That on-demand operation depends on a series of sensors, valves, and electronic controls working together: a flow sensor detects the demand, the control board fires the ignition, a flame sensor confirms the burner lit, and a thermistor monitors the outgoing water temperature so the control board can adjust the gas valve. When any component in that sequence fails, the unit either locks out with an error code or produces water that is too hot, too cold, or fluctuating. The $189 diagnostic pulls the error history from the control board, tests each sensor against the manufacturer's specifications, and identifies which component actually failed before anything gets replaced.
Port Coquitlam's tankless units are concentrated in two groups. The first is homes that had a tankless installed during a renovation, replacing the old tank to free up space and gain on-demand hot water. These units are now five to fifteen years old and are showing the first signs of component wear: flame sensors losing sensitivity, flow sensors drifting out of calibration, and heat exchangers accumulating scale from years of use. The second group is newer construction in the Fremont area and recent Central Port Coquitlam townhome developments where the builder chose tankless to save mechanical room space. These units are newer but run hard in homes with multiple bathrooms, and the error codes they produce tend to be electronic rather than mechanical.
The water in Port Coquitlam is moderately hard by Metro Vancouver standards, and mineral scale builds up inside a tankless heat exchanger over the years. Scale reduces the unit's ability to transfer heat to the water, which means the unit fires harder to reach the set temperature, which accelerates wear on the burner, the gas valve, and the ignition components. Descaling is a standalone service that flushes the heat exchanger with a cleaning solution and restores the flow path. Descaling is booked separately from any repair or diagnostic work, and the interval depends on the home rather than a fixed calendar. Whether and when to descale depends on the water hardness in the home and how much hot water the household uses. We advise on the interval based on what we see inside the unit during the diagnostic.
Eaton's Heating repairs every residential tankless brand found in Port Coquitlam: Navien, Rinnai, Takagi, Noritz, Bosch, Rheem, and more. Each manufacturer uses different error code systems, different sensor configurations, and different control board logic, which is why brand-specific experience matters on these units. We hold Technical Safety BC licence LGA0200006, FortisBC Trade Ally status, BBB A+ accreditation, HPCN registration, and WorkSafeBC coverage, with 400-plus Google reviews at 4.9. Every part is OEM and CSA certified, with six months of coverage on parts and labour.
When repair costs on an older tankless unit exceed what the remaining life justifies, replacement is worth pricing. We install Navien and Rinnai tankless systems and can quote a new unit alongside the repair during the same visit. For homeowners considering a switch back to a tank, our hot water tank page for Port Coquitlam covers that option. One common mix-up worth noting: a wall-hung unit that heats the house and the hot water is a combi boiler, not a tankless water heater, and it needs a different diagnostic approach. Our boiler repair service covers those.
Descaling is a separate service from the diagnostic and from any repair work. The process involves connecting a pump and a cleaning solution to the unit's isolation valves and circulating the solution through the heat exchanger for 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the level of buildup. The solution dissolves mineral scale that has accumulated on the internal surfaces, restoring the flow and heat transfer the unit had when it was new. After the flush, the system is rinsed with clean water and tested.
Not every tankless unit needs descaling on a fixed schedule. A unit in a home with softer water and moderate usage may go several years before buildup affects performance. A unit in a home with harder water and heavy daily demand may benefit from descaling every two to three years. The diagnostic gives us a look at the heat exchanger condition, and we recommend descaling based on what we actually find rather than on a calendar. When a unit is producing error codes related to overheating or temperature fluctuation, scale is often the underlying cause, and descaling resolves it without replacing any parts. Visit our rebates page for any current programs. Financeit at zero percent over 12 months is available for larger repairs or replacement projects.
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The diagnostic is $189 and covers the full assessment. From there, common component repairs like flame sensors, flow sensors, ignition parts, and thermistors typically add $150 to $500 depending on the brand and part. Gas valves, control boards, and heat exchanger work cost more. Every repair is quoted exactly and approved before work starts, and the warranty covers six months on parts and labour.
Write down the code and call for a diagnostic. Error codes are specific to each manufacturer and point to a particular sensor, valve, or system condition. Resetting the unit may clear the code temporarily, but if the underlying fault remains, the code will return and repeated resets can mask a problem that gets worse. The $189 diagnostic pulls the stored error history from the control board and identifies the actual cause.
Temperature swings usually trace to one of three things: a flow sensor that is not reading demand accurately, scale buildup in the heat exchanger that disrupts heat transfer, or a minimum flow rate issue where low-flow fixtures do not draw enough water to keep the burner firing consistently. The diagnostic identifies which one applies. Scale-related fluctuation is common in Port Coquitlam homes where the unit has been running for several years without descaling.
Every residential brand. Navien and Rinnai are the most common in Port Coquitlam, but we also service Takagi, Noritz, Bosch, Rheem, and more. Each brand uses different control systems and error code logic, and our technicians are familiar with all of them. For new installations, we carry Navien and Rinnai.
There is no universal schedule. It depends on the water hardness in your home and how much hot water you use daily. Some units go five or more years before scale affects performance. Others in harder-water homes or heavy-use households benefit from descaling every two to three years. We check the heat exchanger condition during the diagnostic and recommend descaling based on what we find, not on a fixed interval.
A single component failure on a unit that is otherwise in good condition is almost always worth repairing. When multiple components are failing, when the heat exchanger is heavily scaled beyond what descaling can clear, or when the unit is old enough that parts are becoming difficult to source, replacement starts making more financial sense. We install Navien and Rinnai tankless systems and can quote a new unit during the same diagnostic visit so you can compare both paths.
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