Water Heater Repair & Replacement

No hot water: the usual causes

When a tank water heater gives you nothing but cold water, the cause is usually short and fixable. On a gas unit, the pilot light or the thermocouple may have failed. On an electric unit, a tripped breaker, a burned-out heating element or a bad thermostat is more likely. Lukewarm water, or hot water that runs out within minutes, often points to a failed lower element or a tank half full of sediment. Water pooling around the base of the tank is a different problem, covered below.

Tank or tankless

A tank heater keeps 40 to 80 gallons of water hot around the clock. It costs less to buy and install, and most plumbers can swap one in a morning. A tankless heater warms water only while a faucet is open, so a long shower never runs out. It takes far less wall space, but the unit costs more, and a gas model often needs a larger gas line and new venting. Where the water is hard, a tankless heater also needs regular descaling to keep its heat exchanger working.

Repair or replace

A thermostat, element, pilot assembly or anode rod is a reasonable repair on a heater that is otherwise sound. A tank that leaks from the body is finished. The steel has corroded through and no part will fix it. Most tank heaters last somewhere between eight and twelve years. If yours is in that range and needs more than a minor repair, the repair money usually does more good toward a new unit. We give you both numbers and let you choose.

What a replacement involves

We drain the old tank, disconnect the gas or electric supply and the water lines, haul the old heater away and set the new one with fresh connectors, a shutoff valve and a drain pan where the location calls for one. Gas units get a proper vent and a leak test. Code also calls for a temperature and pressure relief valve with a discharge pipe that runs to a safe spot, and many homes need an expansion tank as well. Many cities and counties across Denver Metro require a permit and an inspection for a water heater replacement. We pull the permit and meet the inspector, so you do not have to.

Making the next one last

Flushing the tank once a year clears the sediment that shortens its life and wastes energy. Having the anode rod checked every few years helps too. Setting the thermostat at 120 degrees keeps scald risk down and costs less to run. If you are away for a long winter trip, turn the heater down instead of leaving it at full temperature.