PlumbingBossPro Blog — Quotes & Estimates

Quoting a Yearly Water Heater Flush Plan: Recurring Plumbing Work on the Estimate

Most plumbing quotes are for a single job. A yearly flush plan is different: one approval that turns into a visit every year for as long as the customer stays with you. It is a small quote with a long tail, and it is one of the easiest ways for a plumbing company to build steady, predictable work.

One Quote, Many Visits

Customers can sign up for a flush plan on their own using the sign-up form, and once converted, they become a client as described in Converting a Plumbing Sign-Up to a Client in One Click. But many flush plans start as a quote instead, offered by the tech after a repair or a water heater install.

Either way, the plan works the same once it is set up. In PlumbingBossPro, recurring work is set by the minimum number of days between visits. A yearly flush is set to 365. When a visit comes due, it appears on the Waiting List, and dispatch puts it on a van. No one has to remember which customers are due this month.

What to Put in the Visit

A flush plan sells better when the customer can see exactly what they get. A typical yearly visit might include:

• Flush the tank to drain sediment.
• Test the T&P valve.
• Check the anode rod.
• Look over the venting and connections.
• Check the temperature setting.
• Look for visible leaks around the unit.

Many companies add a quick look at the rest of the house while they are there: water pressure, the main shut-off, visible leaks under sinks. The tech app's inspection checklist covers all of that, with readings like water pressure, water heater setting, sediment drained and water heater age, plus a condition rating and recommendations.

For tankless units, describe the maintenance visit you actually do for those. Keep the description honest and specific to the equipment.

Writing the Flush Plan Quote

Build the quote from your service list like any other estimate. A clear flush plan estimate says:

• What the visit includes, in a short list like the one above.
• How often: once a year.
• The price per visit. Example: a $129 water heater flush. Your price is your own.
• How payment works. Card on file charged when each visit is completed.
• What is not included. Repairs found during the visit are quoted separately.

Avoid promises about how much longer the heater will last or how much the customer will save. Plain, accurate descriptions of the work build more trust than claims.

When to Offer It

The best time to quote a flush plan is when the water heater is already on the customer's mind:

• Right after a water heater install. The new unit is in, and the customer just spent real money on it.
• After a water heater repair. They have just learned that heaters need attention.
• During a yearly inspection where the tech notes sediment or an old anode rod.
• On your website, through the sign-up form, for customers who come looking for maintenance.

For water heater replacement quotes specifically, see Water Heater Replacement Quotes: Writing Clear Plumbing Estimates for Tank and Tankless.

The Equipment Record Does the Remembering

A flush plan is where the equipment record on the house really pays off. The water heater's type, brand, model, serial number, size, fuel, install year and location are saved on the property. Every yearly visit shows them on the tech's job card, so the tech knows what they are walking up to before they leave the van.

If anything changes, like the anode rod being replaced or the unit being swapped out, the change flows back to the house. Next year's visit starts from the right information.

Routing Flush Visits

Flush visits are short, predictable and easy to group. Many shops put them on the van that handles water heaters and maintenance, and fill that van's days with due visits from the Waiting List, picking ones that sit close together on the map. Auto-route sets the order from the shop, Closest First or Furthest First. A day of flush visits in one part of town is calm, profitable work, and it keeps the repair van free for the calls that cannot wait.

Reminders and Billing

Before each visit, the customer gets reminders by text and email based on the alerts they have chosen: night before, when they are next, when the tech arrives. They can see the van's progress on a live map in the customer app.

When the tech taps Complete, the invoice is created and the card on file can be charged. If the tech found something worth fixing, the office builds an estimate, the customer approves online, and the repair becomes its own scheduled job.

A flush plan is small on any single invoice, but a few hundred of them make a calm, predictable part of the year. For more on quoting recurring and one-time work, see the plumbing estimate software overview.