Water Heater Repair in Tyler, TX
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What Smith County does to a water heater
Tyler gets cold enough at night, down to 38°F on average from December through February, that your water heater runs harder in the winter months than the rest of the year. It has to bring incoming water up from a colder starting point, and the burner or heating element cycles more to do it.
Smith County has also seen 9 winter storms and 148 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and across Texas a third of households lost power for at least 24 hours in 2024. A gas water heater with a standing pilot rides through that fine. One with electronic ignition won't fire until the power is back. And when the power comes back after an outage, some units need to be reset or relit by hand rather than starting up on their own.
- 38°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 most common reason is that the tank itself has corroded through and is failing. Sediment builds up at the bottom of the tank over years, and it holds moisture against the steel until it wears a hole. Water at the bottom can also come from a loose drain valve or a fitting that has worked itself loose, and those can be repaired. But if the tank is rusted through, it needs to be replaced, not patched. A contractor can tell you which one you are looking at.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- Most of the time this means the thermocouple has worn out. That's the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve it is safe to keep sending gas. When it wears out or sits out of position, the valve shuts the gas off as soon as you let go of the button, even though the pilot lit fine. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft pulling the flame around can cause the same thing. A thermocouple is a straightforward part to replace, but it takes a gas line open, so have a licensed contractor handle it.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater are repairable. Mineral buildup on the heat exchanger is the most common issue, especially since tankless units run water past a heating element on demand rather than holding it in a tank. A failed igniter, a clogged inlet filter, or a bad flow sensor are also common and all replaceable parts. Whether it makes more sense to repair or replace comes down to the age of the unit and what's actually failed, which a contractor can tell you after looking at it.