Water heater repair

At a glance

Gas tank faults

Thermocouple, pilot assembly, gas control, flue blockage

Electric faults

Elements, thermostats, tripped high-limit

Tankless faults

Scale, flame sensor, venting errors

Not repairable

A leaking tank shell

Gas tanks

If the pilot will not stay lit, the thermocouple or thermopile is often worn. On newer sealed-combustion tanks, a dirty flame arrestor screen at the bottom can starve the burner and trigger a lockout. We clean and test before replacing parts.

• A smell of combustion gas around the top of the tank is a venting problem, not a heating one, and it is a safety issue we deal with immediately.

Electric tanks

Electric heaters have two elements and two thermostats. When one element fails, you get some hot water but it runs out fast. Each element is checked with a meter, and each thermostat is checked to see that it switches when it should.

• If the reset button has tripped, there is a reason: a stuck thermostat or a shorted element.
• Pressing reset without finding it only buys a day or two.

Tankless units

Error codes usually point to flame failure, venting or overheating from scale. A descaling flush fixes many of these, and we check the gas pressure under full fire while we are there.

• If repair costs approach the price of a new unit, we tell you that plainly.

Signs to watch for

• Pilot goes out repeatedly
• Only lukewarm water from an electric tank
• Reset button trips again
• Error code on a tankless display
• Hot water runs out much faster than before

How the job runs

1. Confirm supply

   Gas, power and settings are checked.

2. Test parts

   Each component is tested, not guessed.

3. Repair

   Failed parts are replaced with matching ones.

4. Run a cycle

   We heat a full tank and test the relief valve.