Water Heater Repair in Huntsville, AL
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Power blinks off, water heaters take the hit
Madison County has seen 431 damaging wind events and 9 winter storms over the past ten years. Storms like that knock out power, and in 2024, 18% of Alabama households went at least a day without it.
Most water heaters come back on by themselves once power returns. A standing pilot never needed power in the first place. But an outage can still trip a thermostat or a heating element, and the tank has had all that time to cool. You go to run hot water and it takes a while to warm up, or it does not come at all.
- 33°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 7 months
- October through April, the months homes here need heat
- 18%
- of Alabama households lost power for a day or more in 2024, and a heater with an electric element or electric ignition stops without it
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new water heater would cut about $310 a year off hot water for a typical Alabama home.
Estimates for a typical Alabama home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and Alabama fuel prices. Your home will differ.
Repair makes sense when an element, thermostat or gas valve has failed.
Replacement makes sense when the tank itself is leaking.
- Why is my water heater leaking from the bottom?
- The most common cause is the tank itself, rusted through from the inside after years of sediment sitting at the bottom. Once a steel tank corrodes and starts leaking, there is no patch or seal that fixes it, the tank has to be replaced. Water at the bottom can also come from a loose drain valve or a fitting that has worked its way loose, and those are worth checking before you assume the worst. A leak can also come from the temperature and pressure relief valve discharging, which is a different problem and points to pressure or temperature running too high inside the tank. A contractor can tell you which one you are dealing with and price the fix for your unit.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- Usually it means the thermocouple has worn out and is no longer sensing that the pilot is lit, so the gas valve shuts it off as a safety measure. A dirty or misaligned pilot orifice can cause the same thing, and so can a draft in the area where the water heater sits. A failing gas control valve is a less common cause but can produce the same symptom. Since a standing pilot does not run on electricity, this problem has nothing to do with power at the house, and a contractor will need to look at the actual parts to know which one is failing.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater are repairable. The heat exchanger can scale up over time, especially without regular flushing, and that can usually be cleaned rather than replaced. Igniters, flow sensors, and venting issues are also common repairs, not reasons to replace the unit. Whether repair makes sense for your unit depends on its age and what a contractor finds once it is open, so that is a call best made after a proper look at the unit itself.