6 Best Water Heater Services in Chicago (2026)

Independently ranked by our review of ratings, reviews and reputation · How we chose

By Brad Smith, Home Services Expert · ✓ Data verified July 2026 · 8 min read

Cold showers have a way of turning a routine repair into an emergency. Review counts for Chicago's water heater services on this page run from a couple hundred up past 8,500, a reminder that a smaller, newer name can still be worth calling if the work fits what you need.

Short answer: King Heating, Cooling & Plumbing tops our list, rated 4.7 across 4,244 reviews, with same-day water heater installs and repairs and up-front pricing. Walsh & Son Plumbing and Sewer and Hot Water Heater Repair Chicago both carry a perfect 5.0, and Roto-Rooter brings the deepest bench with over 8,500 reviews citywide. A standard tank replacement typically runs $1,200 to $3,000 installed.

Jump to a business

1. King Heating, Cooling…
2. Roto-Rooter Plumbing &…
3. Walsh & Son Plumbing a…
4. Hot Water Heater Repai…
5. Direct Improvements
6. Tabor's Complete Comfo…
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How Chicago's water heater pros compare

#	Business	Rating	Reviews	Best for
1	King Heating, Cooling & Plumbing	4.7 ★	4,244	Overall / same-day tank or tankless installs	View ›
2	Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup	4.7 ★	8,530	Largest, most established plumber	View ›
3	Walsh & Son Plumbing and Sewer	5.0 ★	457	Perfect rating / Southwest Side and suburbs	View ›
4	Hot Water Heater Repair Chicago	5.0 ★	351	Water heater specialist	View ›
5	Direct Improvements	4.7 ★	346	Home warranty claims	View ›
6	Tabor's Complete Comfort Mechanical	4.9 ★	266	South Loop / small business, HVAC and plumbing combined	View ›

6 Best Water Heater Services in Chicago (2026)

Our picks, and who each one suits

★ Featured Partner#1🕑 Open 7 days↩ Responds to reviews

King Heating, Cooling & Plumbing

4.74,244 Google reviews

King Heating, Cooling & Plumbing is an Oak Forest-based HVAC and plumbing contractor serving Chicago and NW Indiana, with 24/7 availability across heating, cooling, and plumbing including water heaters. The company's plumbing page specifically calls out water heater work alongside frozen pipes and general plumbing repair, and its site leads with up-front pricing before work begins.

What people praise

Reviewers describe full water heater installs completed same day, including hauling the old unit out
Technicians are named specifically for walking customers through warranty details afterward
One reviewer had two large water heaters installed in a single visit with no issues

Reputation scorecardrank in Chicago

Rating4.7 / 5

Review volume4,244 · 95th

Confidencevery high

Recency4 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown89% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: King handles water heaters as part of a broader plumbing and HVAC operation, and the reviews back up fast, clean installs. A dependable first call whether it's a repair or full replacement.

Website +1708-808-6162 Directions

4813 W 159th St, Oak Forest, IL 60452

#2🕑 Open 7 days↩ Responds to reviews

Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

4.78,530 Google reviews

Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup is a national plumbing brand with a downtown Chicago location offering 24/7 emergency plumbing, drain cleaning, and water damage cleanup, with no extra charge for nights, weekends, or holidays. The company's site notes more people use Roto-Rooter than any other plumbing company in North America.

What people praise

Reviewers consistently report a technician on-site within two hours of calling, including on weekends
Camera inspections and thorough follow-up checks come up repeatedly
No overtime or weekend surcharge is mentioned favorably by multiple customers

Worth knowing

As a larger national operator, pricing on emergency calls can run higher than a small local shop

Reputation scorecardrank in Chicago

Rating4.7 / 5

Review volume8,530 · 97th

Confidencevery high

Recency4 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown89% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: By far the deepest review base on this list, and the speed reviewers describe for emergency calls is hard to match. Worth calling first if your water heater failure has already flooded a floor drain.

Website Book now +1312-379-2926 Directions

166 W Washington St, Chicago, IL 60602

#3🕑 Open 5 days/wk↩ Responds to reviews

Walsh & Son Plumbing and Sewer

5.0457 Google reviews

Walsh & Son Plumbing and Sewer is an Orland Park-based plumbing company with over 25 years in business, covering water heaters, drains, sewer lines, and general plumbing repair across the Chicagoland area. Its site lists both tankless water heater installation and repair as standard services.

What people praise

Every review on file is 4 or 5 stars, with technicians named individually and repeatedly
Reviewers specifically mention the company beating competing quotes on sewer and plumbing jobs
Same-day scheduling after a major storm shows up in more than one review

Worth knowing

Fewer total reviews than the citywide operators, so the sample is smaller

Reputation scorecardrank in Chicago

Rating5 / 5

Review volume457 · 92th

Confidencehigh

Recency6 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown98% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: A perfect rating across every review we could pull. Best fit if you're on the Southwest Side or in the close suburbs and want a smaller, consistently praised outfit.

Website Book now +1708-316-1509 Directions

#4🕑 Open 7 days↩ Responds to reviews

Hot Water Heater Repair Chicago

5.0351 Google reviews

Hot Water Heater Repair Chicago is exactly what the name says, a Chicago plumbing business on North Western Avenue that focuses specifically on water heater diagnosis, repair, and replacement, run by a technician named Jim.

What people praise

Reviewers describe Jim diagnosing issues over text photos before ever coming out, sometimes saving a truck roll entirely
Multiple reviews mention a full tank replacement completed in under an hour
One reviewer compared six quotes and this company came in $700 to $2,000 below the rest

Worth knowing

A narrow specialty means this is the pick for water heaters specifically, not broader plumbing or HVAC work

Reputation scorecardrank in Chicago

Rating5 / 5

Review volume351 · 87th

Confidencehigh

Recency6 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown98% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The name matches the specialty, and reviewers consistently mention Jim trying the cheaper fix first rather than pushing a replacement. Ties for the top rating on this page.

Website +1312-661-2770 Directions

1535 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

#5🕑 Open 7 days↩ Responds to reviews

Direct Improvements

4.7346 Google reviews

Direct Improvements is a Chicago-based HVAC, plumbing, and appliance repair company that also works directly with home warranty providers like American Home Shield, covering water heaters alongside furnace, AC, and appliance repair under one company.

What people praise

Reviewers describe the company successfully finishing home-warranty claims that stalled with other contractors
Technicians are named specifically and consistently across reviews
One reviewer cites a repair quote well under a competitor's full-replacement estimate

Worth knowing

Water heaters are one of several service lines here, not the sole focus

Reputation scorecardrank in Chicago

Rating4.7 / 5

Review volume346 · 82th

Confidencehigh

Recency3 months ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown88% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: If a home warranty is part of the picture, reviewers credit this company with actually getting the claim resolved.

Website Book now +1708-578-8601 Directions

111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604

#6🕑 Open 7 days↩ Responds to reviews

Tabor's Complete Comfort Mechanical

4.9266 Google reviews

Tabor's Complete Comfort Mechanical is a South Michigan Avenue HVAC contractor founded in 2005 by owner Alan Tabor, covering heating, cooling, and related plumbing work like water heaters for homes and offices across Chicagoland.

What people praise

Reviewers consistently name the owner directly and describe same-day scheduling
Customers cite competitive pricing against larger companies quoted for comparison
Multiple reviews mention the crew returning promptly to resolve a follow-up issue after install

Reputation scorecardrank in Chicago

Rating4.9 / 5

Review volume266 · 76th

Confidencehigh

Recency4 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown96% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: A near-perfect rating from a small, owner-led operation. Good option if you're downtown or in the South Loop and already need HVAC work alongside the water heater.

Website Book now +1773-715-3860 Directions

1449 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605

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Watch: 6 Best Water Heater Services in Chicago (2026)

How we scored this list

Rating is each company’s live Google average. Review volume measures how many customers have actually rated them, ranked against the others here. Confidence blends the two, so a perfect score built on a couple hundred reviews is weighted differently than a strong average built on thousands. Recency checks how recently people are still leaving reviews, and completeness checks whether basic info like hours and a working site are in place. No business can pay to change any of these numbers.

Water heater costs in Chicago (2026)

Repair costs depend on the part involved (a heating element or thermocouple is cheap, a full tank failure is not), while replacement costs depend heavily on tank versus tankless and gas versus electric.

Job	Typical price
Diagnostic / service call	$75-$150
Minor repair (element, thermocouple, valve)	$150-$450
Standard tank replacement, installed	$1,200-$3,000
Tankless water heater installation	$2,500-$5,500

Ranges compiled July 2026 from Angi, HomeGuide, and Fixr national and Chicago-metro water heater pricing data. These are third-party averages, not quotes from the businesses on this page, so ask each company for its own written price.

Water heater service near you in Chicago

Coverage spans the full city and close suburbs, from downtown and the South Loop out to Orland Park, Oak Forest, and the Northwest Side. If you’re searching for water heater repair near me in Chicago, the specialists above (particularly Hot Water Heater Repair Chicago) are worth calling first for a water-heater-only job, while the full-service plumbers suit anything broader.

What to ask before you hire a water heater company

Is this worth repairing, or is the tank old enough that replacement is the smarter move?
What size and type of unit fits my household, tank or tankless, gas or electric?
What’s the manufacturer and labor warranty on the new unit?
Is removal and disposal of the old water heater included in the price?
Is there an after-hours premium if this turns into an emergency?
How soon can you actually get here?

Frequently asked questions

Are these rankings paid?

No. Rankings come from public Google data. A business can pay to be a Featured Partner (badge and top placement), but that never changes another business’s score or position.

How did you choose these companies?

We pulled real Google Business data for water heater installation and repair companies serving Chicago and ranked them on rating, review volume, and how recently customers are still leaving reviews.

How often is this page updated?

We refreshed the data behind this page in July 2026 and revisit it as ratings and review counts change.

How long does a water heater last before it needs replacing?

Most tank water heaters last 8 to 12 years. If yours is in that range and failing, replacement is usually more cost-effective than another repair.

Is tankless worth the higher upfront cost?

It depends on hot water demand and how long you plan to stay in the home. Ask whichever company you call to walk through the payback math for your household.

The bottom line

King Heating, Cooling & Plumbing is the safe default for a water heater repair or replacement in Chicago, with same-day service and clear pricing. If the job is a water-heater-only fix, it’s also worth comparing a quote from Hot Water Heater Repair Chicago before you commit.

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