Waywest Mechanical installs, repairs and maintains tankless (on-demand) water heaters in Nanaimo and across Vancouver Island. A tankless heater warms water only when a tap is opened, instead of keeping a tank hot around the clock. Waywest's TSBC-licensed gas fitters size the unit to your household, upgrade gas lines and venting where needed, and descale existing units.
Monday–Friday, 7:00 AM–4:30 PM · quotes within the hour
How tankless water heaters work
When a hot tap opens, water flowing through the unit trips a flow sensor. The burner fires, a heat exchanger brings the water up to temperature as it passes through, and the burner shuts off when the tap closes. There is no tank of stored water losing heat overnight.
The practical results:
- Hot water does not run out after a few showers
- Standby energy losses of a storage tank disappear
- The unit mounts on a wall, freeing floor space
- Equipment life is typically longer than a tank
The trade-offs are a higher installation cost, a short delay before hot water arrives at distant taps, and a unit that needs regular descaling.
Getting sizing right
Tankless units are rated by how much water they can heat per minute at a given temperature rise. Sizing depends on:
- How many fixtures might run at once — two showers and a dishwasher is a common peak
- Incoming water temperature, which on Vancouver Island is colder in winter, meaning the unit works harder
- Fixture flow rates, especially large showers or soaker tubs
An undersized unit is the most common complaint we hear about tankless systems installed by others. We size for your actual winter peak, not a best-case number.
Installation considerations
Replacing a tank with a tankless heater is more than swapping one appliance for another:
- Gas supply. The existing gas line frequently needs to be upsized for the higher firing rate.
- Venting. Most units need dedicated venting, often through a side wall with specific clearances from windows and doors.
- Condensate. High-efficiency condensing units produce acidic condensate that needs a drain and, in many cases, a neutralizer.
- Electrical. The unit needs a power supply for its controls and fan.
- Water quality. Hard water shortens a tankless unit's life; see water treatment.
Waywest handles all of these as one job, with the gas work permitted through Technical Safety BC.
Repair and maintenance
Common tankless service calls include:
- Error codes caused by scale in the heat exchanger
- Ignition failures and flame sensor problems
- Blocked air intakes and venting issues
- Fluctuating water temperature
- Units shutting down under high demand
Annual descaling — pumping a descaling solution through the heat exchanger using the unit's isolation valves — prevents most of these. If your unit was installed without isolation valves, we can add them so future maintenance is straightforward.
Tankless or tank?
A tank is still the right choice for some homes: small households with modest hot water use, homes where the gas line and venting upgrades would be extensive, or owners who plan to sell soon. We lay out the costs of both on the same quote. See hot water tanks for the tank side of that comparison.
Where we install
Waywest installs and services tankless water heaters in Nanaimo, Lantzville, Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Ladysmith, Duncan and across our Vancouver Island service area.
What happens when you call
- A person answers
You talk to the Nanaimo office, or our own crew on the 24/7 line — not a call centre.
- You hear the rate first
We explain the service rate, or the emergency rate after hours, before anyone is booked or dispatched.
- A licensed technician arrives
A Waywest technician with a stocked vehicle diagnoses the problem and explains your options.
- You approve the work
Repairs go ahead once you agree. Larger jobs get a written quote you can take time to consider.
Quick facts
- Emergency service
- 24/7 at 250-616-1446 — typically on site within an hour in Nanaimo
- Office hours
- Monday–Friday, 7:00 AM–4:30 PM, 250-729-2394
- Service area
- Nanaimo and Vancouver Island, Victoria to Port Hardy
- Licensing
- TSBC licence LGA0004592; licensed, bonded and insured
- Quotes
- Reply within the hour during business hours
- Page updated
Common questions
Is a tankless water heater worth it in Nanaimo?
It can be for households that use a lot of hot water, want the space a tank takes up, or plan to stay in the home long enough to benefit from the longer equipment life. Installation usually costs more than a tank because of gas line and venting requirements, so the value depends on the specific house.
Can a tankless water heater run out of hot water?
It will not run out the way a tank does, but it has a maximum flow rate. If more hot taps run at once than the unit is sized for, the water temperature drops. Correct sizing for the number of bathrooms and fixtures prevents this.
How often does a tankless water heater need maintenance?
Most manufacturers recommend flushing and descaling roughly once a year, more often with hard water. Scale buildup reduces efficiency and triggers error codes. The air intake filter and venting should be checked at the same visit.
Do I need a bigger gas line for a tankless water heater?
Often, yes. A gas tankless unit can draw much more gas at full output than a tank-style heater, and the existing gas line may be too small. Waywest calculates the gas load for your home and upgrades the line under a Technical Safety BC permit if needed.
How long do tankless water heaters last?
A well-maintained tankless water heater commonly lasts 15 to 20 years, noticeably longer than a typical tank. Skipping descaling on hard water shortens that considerably.
Need this sorted out?
Call the Nanaimo office and talk to someone who can tell you what the work involves and when we can get to it.