Expert Water Heater Repair and Replacement in Fairbanks, AK
PROSPECTOR PLUMBING
Schedule an appointment
Highest-Rated Water Heater Repair and Replacement Services
You never truly appreciate hot water until you wake up one day, and there is none. When your water heater stops working, waiting is not an option. You need to repair or replace it fast.
At Prospector Plumbing and Heating, we strive to provide the best water heater repair and replacement service in Fairbanks, AK. As your local, highest-rated team, we aim to give exceptional customer service. You can expect our technicians to respond to your call quickly, schedule an appointment immediately, and help you make an informed decision when choosing a new heater.
Our specialists undergo extensive technical training and can handle any plumbing service for gas or electric water heaters. We are familiar with Alaskan households and their water heating needs. You can trust us to detect, repair, replace, and recommend the best type and model based on your needs.
Quality and On-Time Water Heater Repair

Signs You Need Water Heater Repairs
- Discolored water
- No hot water
- Little water pressure
- Strange water heater noises
- The water heater is leaking
Common Water Heater Problems We Fix
Water heaters are the silent units of every Alaskan household. They work around the clock to provide enough hot water to bathe, wash the dishes, or do laundry. Unfortunately, minor water heater issues can cause the unit to break down, producing only cold water – or worse.
Two common types of water heaters in residential or commercial properties are gas and electric units. Our plumbers in Fairbanks know both types inside and out and can repair any minor or major problem.
Some of the common water heater problems our crew handles include:
- A faulty thermostat
- Blown fuse (power interruption to the unit)
- A defective sacrificial anode rod
- Tank corrosion
- T&P valve is stuck open or overheating due to high pressure
- The water heater is too small to handle water demand

Professional Water Heater Installation in Fairbanks
Repair or Replacement: Signs You Need a New Heater for Hot Water in Fairbanks
If you notice any of the following signs, it is time to replace your heater. Call our plumber in Fairbanks to recommend a more efficient model and install it the same day.
- Your current heater requires frequent repairs
- Your heater is 20 years old
- The water heater’s base is rusty
Storage Tank Water Heaters vs. Tankless Heaters
We have the tools, knowledge, and skills to install both tank and tankless heaters.
Tank water heaters cost approximately three times less than tankless models. However, in the long run, they require more to maintain their performance and functionality. Traditional heaters have an average lifespan of up to 15 years, depending on facility uses.
Tankless heaters have a life expectancy of 20 years or more. They also have easily replaceable parts and are simple to maintain. Tankless heaters have higher energy efficiency, which can save you money in the long run.
If you can’t decide, ask our professional plumber in Fairbanks to recommend high-efficiency models based on your budget and property size. We keep up with the latest trends and can suggest the most efficient model for your needs.
Our Water Heater Replacement and Installation Process
Once you compare your options, we will start the replacement and installation process. Replacing traditional gas water heater tanks can be stressful and time-consuming, so we suggest you make sure your children and pets are out of the way. Installing tankless water heaters is easier, but it also requires a professional to do the job.
Our installation process consists of three steps:
- Preparation
- Placement
- Testing
First, we will cut off the water supply and drain the water in the current heater. Next, we will remove the heater and place the new one in the correct location. We will then put the water lines and heat trap fittings into places and connect the gas line or electric cable.
Before we leave your property, we will test the heater and make sure everything works accordingly.
Contact Prospector Plumbing & Heating
Prospector Plumbing & Heating offers a manufacturer warranty on all water heaters maintained and installed by our team. The warranty covers any work done to install tankless or tank water heaters of all sizes and models.
We use the top-of-the-line tools to clean, drain, and remove the old heater and install the new one with minimal or no intrusion to your home or office. Our plumbers follow the local Alaskan practices when installing new water heaters and ensure they meet the industry standards.

THERE’S A REASON WE HAVE
5 STAR REVIEWS!
I had a problem with the furnace at my rental property not producing heat, so I called this company. They showed up promptly and their tech assessed the problem, and told me I needed to have certain parts replaced. Now I wasn’t at my rental property at the time to confirm the issue, I simply relied on their technician’s advice.
Hours later, the tech had his parts and did the repair… only to realize what he thought was the problem, was not in fact the problem, MY NEST THERMOSTAT WAS DEAD THE WHOLE TIME! The tech then realized that was something he should’ve checked from the beginning and apologized for his inaccurate diagnostic, and left. I then had to charge my Nest thermostat and my furnace started producing heat!!!
Now this company is attempting to charge me $952, FOR MY THERMOSTAT BEING DEAD! The tech that came to my home is clearly incompetent, as if he knew how to do his job correctly, the thermostat (of which was located directly above his head at the furnace) would have been checked before anything else.
Now the manager is being completely unreasonable with adjusting my invoice to reflect what work SHOULD HAVE been done (a call out fee and parts) and also will not give me a breakdown of the charges for the work performed, just a total, and is continuously harassing myself and my husband for full payment.
This should company understand that what they are doing is not right, and they need to make it right. Do yourself a favor and call a company that actually cares about their customers and has technicians that actually do their job correctly from the beginning.
He is very knowledgeable and explained the necessary repair with me
Thank you. I will certainly use your company for future service
Totally awesome job!! Thank you !!
Have been a customer for 3 or 4 years
Will continue to be loyal!!
I greatly appreciate the service and I would highly recommend them!
After leaving what I felt was a fair and honest review about my experience, I was contacted by their customer support team who was genuinely interested in hearing my side and seeing what they could do better as a company. He was very professional, and went above and beyond to make sure that my total experience with the company met my expectations.
*****
Their tech, Ryland, gave my system 2000 a tuneup. He was knowledgeable and professional and made sure he answered all my questions.
I did have some snags with the company that were unexpected. I had selected Prospector Plumbing due to their high rating despite their comparatively high price. We set up an appointment for the 8-10:00 timeframe, and I drove home from work to start waiting at 8:00. After not hearing anything by 10:20, I called their receptionist, who said they would reach out to the driver. When they called back, they said they were at least another hour out, and I decided to reschedule the appointment. They were apologetic and offered a 5% discount on my service.
On the morning of my second appointment, I got a text at 8:40 introducing my driver and saying he was on the way. He arrived at 9:00 and started on the boiler. He did a thorough job, and I had no problems with his work.
When it came time to pay for the $600 annual plan (cheaper than the stand-alone tuneup cost), the tech said the 5% off wouldn’t apply. When they offered the discount, there was no mention that it wouldn’t apply to the annual plan. Since the annual plan is cheaper than a stand-alone tuneup, it is expected that people just get the annual plan, which is what the receptionist had recommended. This would have made a difference whether I just went with another company or gave them another chance with a second appointment.
Ryland, if you’re reading this, I would totally hire you to come back and work on my boiler again, but my experience with the “company” side was less than I expected for the price point.
We have been happy with Prospector for work on our propane range, home boiler, and garage Toyo boiler. Morgan and Andrew did excellent work.
We have lived in Fairbanks for over 30 years and Prospector Plumbing had refreshingly excellent service, excellent communication, and a good value fixing our shower leak. (Excellent service is rare in Fairbanks) Also used them for boiler tuneup ($380). Most recently our boiler shutdown due to recirculating pump failure. As promised, they were on site the next morning to fix the problem.
We had another Fairbanks company quote much higher for our toyo boiler repairs.
When we moved up from the lower 48 we didn’t know a thing about boiler heating systems or heating oil. I read a lot about them on Google to gain some understanding but they’re totally foreign to our family. The boiler in our house we bought was older and had been “piece mailed” together a few times and we knew it was one of the first major things we would handle after getting settled. We did a lot of research on the natural gas vs oil topic and ultimately chose to convert the entire house to natural gas.
We called a few companies out to get a feel for the companies, get quotes, ask questions, etc. It’s not that the other companies weren’t nice or knowledgeable but there is a very obvious difference in the level of care and passion that Nick and Prospector Plumbing bring to the table. Like a night and day difference. We had some locals tells us we should work with a different company because they would “be cheaper” but no matter how you do it, this was a HUGE project that wasn’t going to be “cheap”.
Once we met Nick it was a done deal. We knew we were converting to natural gas and we knew we wanted to put every appliance we could on natural gas — we figured it made the most sense to get all the work done up front and hopefully reduce the electric bill some, minimize our carbon footprint, and in the long run save a ton on heating oil. Like I said, a huge project.
Considering the cost of this project was like buying a new car or small truck I had about billion questions and Nick never lost his patience with us and was more than willing to educate us and answer ALL of the questions. Nick must have come to our house 5 or 6 times to rework quotes every time we had questions, other thoughts, and provided us about every possible way to complete the project, and even suggested several ways we could save money if we wanted to not do certain things. The transparency and honesty was refreshing.
Nick Ely is an absolute fantastic human being and is worth his weight gold to Prospector and I hope they realize the value he brings to the company and what an asset he is.
To summarize, the work in total took about 10 working days (which is what we had estimated), the quality and craftsmanship of the work is phenomenal and we are truly appreciative off all the hard work that was put in and will be a lifelong customer to Prospector because of the great service we had. I would 11/10 recommend anyone to use this company services!
The only thing we regret was not taking the time to paint the garage while everything was removed ha!
Natalie on the phone was clear and helpful. She was able to schedule me within a day during a busy time.
Morgan is the best boiler technician I’ve ever had in the 33 years in this house. He was able to troubleshoot the problem and fix it in a workmanlike fashion. He explain what he did clearly and patiently. He answered questions I had about other parts of the piping and hardware in the boiler room.
This is the first time that I have employed Prospector, and I expect that they will be my primary outfit for boiler and plumbing problems in the future.
We will be using Prospector in the future when the need arises. Great to find a company that has quality performance and a follow through attitude. Refreshing!
Everyone at the office is friendly and helpful as well, so Prospector is the only plumbing and heating service for me.
THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVICE

FAIRBANKS, ALASKA
