My Water Heater Broke: What You need to know

Should I repair my water heater or should I replace it?

If your water heater is over 8 years old we are most likely going to advise for you to replace it. The reasoning behind that is most warranties for water heaters end at 6 years and water heaters in our area last 12 years. So by the time you pay for parts and labor of fixing a water heater you could be getting close to buying a new one and with water heaters not always being the easiest thing to diagnose exactly what is going wrong, you could end up having more repairs in the future.

However, we will inspect the unit to make sure it not a simple fix in which case we will absolutely fix it. If it is under warranty, we will get the necessary parts from the manufacture, but you will still be responsible for labor.

Some possible causes of your water heater going bad:

Electric:
Heating Element
Hole in Tank

Gas:
Flame sensor
Control Valve
Ignitor

How much is this going to cost?

Like most jobs there are a several factors that go into the cost of replacing a water heater including:

-Do you want a tank or tankless water heater? Learn more about tankless here.

-What make and size is the unit? (Gas is touch more expensive than electric)
-What is access to the unit like? (If difficult to get to, this will take more time)
-Will the water heater drain? (If not it could be a job just getting it out)

FYI: Every single water heater needs an inspection by the state which we take care of but some older water heaters do not have expansion tanks. This is now a requirement from the state so we may have to add an expansion tank which would be an extra cost.

Before You Call

1) Is your water heater electric, gas, or vent?

2) How many gallons it is?

Typically, this information is on the side of the water heater and looks like this: