Water heater repair in Huntsville

Hot water usually quits at the worst time: a full house, a cold morning, a sink of dishes. Most of the time the tank is fine and one part has failed. We find that part, tell you what it costs, and fix it.

Gas water heater repair in Huntsville homes

Huntsville Utilities runs natural gas to a lot of the city, so many homes here have a gas tank. When a gas water heater stops heating, the trouble is usually in a short list of parts. The thermocouple wears out and the pilot won’t stay lit. The pilot tube clogs and the flame turns weak and yellow. The gas valve sticks, or the burner gets choked with rust flakes from the tank above it.

We check the flame, test the thermocouple and look at the burner before we quote. On a newer tank, a thermocouple or pilot assembly is a small repair. On a tank past ten years old, we’ll tell you if the money is better spent on a new one.

Electric water heater repair and the parts that fail

Electric tanks have two heating elements and two thermostats. When the lower element burns out, you still get some hot water, just not much. When the upper one fails, you get none. A tripped high-limit switch can also leave the whole tank cold.

We test each element and thermostat with a meter, so you pay for the part that failed and nothing else. Elements often fail early in tanks full of sediment, so we look at that too.

Leaking water heater: fitting, valve or tank?

A puddle under the water heater doesn’t always mean a new tank. Water can come from a loose supply fitting, a drain valve that won’t seal, or a relief valve that opens because the pressure runs high. Those parts can be fixed.

If water is seeping from the tank’s seams or from under the jacket, the steel has rusted through. No repair holds on a tank like that. Close the cold water valve on top of the tank, turn off the gas or the breaker, and call. We’ll set up a water heater replacement and haul the old tank away.

Water heater repair or replacement in older houses

Many of Huntsville’s 1950s and 1960s ranch houses have had two or three water heaters by now, and the newer subdivisions are reaching the age where their first tanks give out. If the tank is under about eight years old and the steel is sound, repair usually makes sense. Past twelve, with rust at the fittings or a rumbling tank, a new heater is the better buy.

We handle the same repairs in nearby towns, including water heater repair in Madison and water heater repair in Decatur.