Water Heater Repair in San Marcos, TX
Tell us what your water heater is doing, and a licensed contractor who covers Hays County will get in touch.
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What outages here do to a water heater
Hays County sees storms through the winter. The last ten years show 8 winter storms and 36 damaging wind events, and either kind can knock out power. Statewide, a third of Texas households were without power for 24 hours or more in 2024.
A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps making hot water through an outage like that. One with electronic ignition won't light again until the power is back, and someone has to reset it. An electric water heater simply stops until the power does come back, and most start up again on their own. Either way, a tank full of cold water takes time to recover once it's running again, and that wait is often when a homeowner finds out the thermostat or heating element was already on its way out.
- 41°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 5 months
- November through March, the months homes here need heat
- 33%
- of Texas 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 $290 a year off hot water for a typical Texas home.
Estimates for a typical Texas home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and Texas 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 tank itself has likely rusted through and is starting to fail. Water heaters hold a tank of water for years, and the inside slowly corrodes even with a glass lining protecting the steel. Once it leaks from the bottom, the tank cannot be patched or sealed. A leak can also come from a drain valve that is loose or worn, which a contractor can check before deciding the tank itself is the problem.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The most common cause is a worn thermocouple, the small sensor that tells the gas valve the pilot is burning. When it wears out, it shuts the gas off even though the flame is lit. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft blowing out the flame can also cause this. A contractor can test the thermocouple and clean or replace the parts that are causing it to fail.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater can be repaired without replacing the unit. Common repairs include descaling the heat exchanger, replacing an igniter or flow sensor, or clearing a blocked vent. A contractor can diagnose which part is causing the problem and tell you whether repair or replacement makes more sense for your unit.