Water Heaters
Losing hot water is the quickest way a house stops working. Water heaters fail in predictable ways, and the right response depends on what failed, how old the unit is, and what kind of heater it is: a storage tank, a tankless unit, gas or electric, a hybrid heat pump.
This section covers the full water heater lifecycle: repair when a component fails, replacement when the tank itself is done, installation when you are changing type or capacity, and the maintenance that decides how long the next unit lasts. Start with the symptom; the pages below go deep on each job.
Our Services
Signs You Need This Service
The symptoms that bring water heaters to a plumber's attention, and what they usually mean:
- No hot water at all. Gas: often the control valve, thermocouple or burner. Electric: elements or thermostats. The fix is usually a repair, unless the tank is already at end of life.
- Not enough or inconsistent hot water. Sediment buildup, a failing element or dip tube, or a unit simply undersized for the household.
- Water around the base. Fittings and valves can be repaired. Water from the tank body itself cannot. A leaking tank is a replacement, and an urgent one.
- Rumbling, popping, banging. Sediment boiling on the bottom of the tank: a maintenance flush if caught early, shortened tank life if ignored.
- Rusty or smelly hot water. A spent anode rod or internal corrosion; the anode is replaceable, corrosion in the tank is terminal.
- Pilot or ignition problems. Thermocouple, gas control or venting issues on gas units, safety-relevant and worth professional eyes.
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Common Causes
What drives those failures in the first place:
- Sediment and hard water. Minerals settle on the tank floor and coat electric elements; the layer insulates burner or elements from the water, wastes energy and bakes the shell. This is the root of most noise, slow recovery and early failures.
- A spent anode. The sacrificial anode protects the tank by corroding first; once it is used up, the tank starts rusting from the inside.
- Age and the shell. Storage tanks typically serve 8-12 years. Everything bolted to the tank is repairable; the tank body is not, and a leaking shell ends the unit.
- Undersizing and pressure. A unit too small for the household runs flat out and ages faster, and high supply pressure or missing thermal-expansion protection stresses both the tank and its relief valve.
Service Details & What's Included
The jobs this section covers:
- Repair. Diagnosis, component replacement and safety checks on gas and electric units: thermostats, elements, valves, ignition and relief hardware.
- Replacement. Like-for-like swaps and upgrades: sizing, code-required hardware (relief valve, drain pan, expansion tank where applicable), venting and disposal of the old unit.
- Installation of a different type. Tank to tankless, electric to gas or to a hybrid heat pump. These change gas, venting or electrical requirements, which the scope must state before work starts.
- Maintenance. Flushing sediment, testing the relief valve, checking the anode: the short annual visit that decides tank lifespan. Tankless units add periodic descaling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Repair or replace my water heater?
Repair young units with failed parts; replace when the tank leaks, when a major repair meets an old unit, or when repairs are repeating. The scope should show both numbers when the case is close. The Water Heater: Repair or Replace guide runs the full math.
Why am I suddenly out of hot water?
The most common causes are heating failures: thermocouple or gas control on gas units, elements or thermostats on electric. Diagnosis confirms which, and whether the tank itself is still worth the fix.
My water heater is leaking. How urgent is it?
Water from fittings or the relief valve is a repair; water from the tank body means the tank has failed and will not improve. Shut off the unit's water and power or gas, and treat a tank leak as urgent.
Tank or tankless: which should I choose?
Tanks cost less up front and are simple to service; tankless units heat on demand, save space and avoid running out of hot water, but need adequate gas or electrical capacity and periodic descaling. The right answer follows the household's usage and the home's infrastructure.
How often should a water heater be serviced?
Annually for a flush and safety check on tanks, more often in hard-water areas; tankless units on the descaling interval their conditions dictate. Regular service is cheaper than the years of life it adds.
What size water heater does my home need?
It follows peak usage (simultaneous showers, laundry and appliances), not just family size. Sizing is part of the replacement scope; an undersized unit runs out, an oversized one wastes energy standing by.
Fix Your Hot Water
Tell us the unit type (tank or tankless, gas or electric), its approximate age, and the symptom. That is most of the diagnosis already.
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