Water Heater Troubleshooting Tips

Name: Rodenhiser Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning & Electric
Address: 325 Hopping Brook Rd, 01746, Holliston, MA
Telephone: 508-321-3089
Rating: 5

A storage water heater is a generally reliable unit, but any piece of equipment can have issues and losing hot water is an inconvenience no one wants. Before you call a professional, here are a few tips to help you narrow down the problem. You still might not be able to fix your water heater on your own, but you will at least be able to describe the problem if you do have to call for services.

No Hot Water--With an electric water heater, check the circuit breaker that supplies power to the unit. If it is tripped, return it to the "on" position. Stay at the electrical panel and if the circuit trips again, leave it off and call a plumber. Electrical elements and thermostats can go bad. If you are handy with a tester, check both the upper and lower elements after turning off the electricity to the unit. Electric heaters have an amperage and voltage that can be lethal, so use caution. On gas heaters, check the pilot light. If the water heater fuel is natural gas, try to light the pilot light (unless it is a self-igniting unit) and see if it stays on. If not, the problem could be a thermocouple, which regulates the gas supply, or a faulty gas valve.
Leaking Unit--If the unit is leaking, carefully check to see if it is coming from the tank or a connection to the tank. Tighten any leaking connections slowly and carefully or call a professional. If the water is coming from the tank, the issue may be simple condensation or it may be an actual leak. Condensation will stop after a short period of time. Leaking will not.
Sediment Issues--Minerals in the water will settle to the bottom of a tank. In electric heaters, a large amount of this can burn out the lower heating element. In either gas or electric, sediment can damage the tank. Drain the tank yearly to eliminate this problem.

When you have water heater problems, call on our certified plumbing specialists at Rodenhiser. We can get to the problem quickly and have your water heater working again.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Solutions Guide.

Rodenhiser Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning serves the Route 495/128 area of Southborough MA. To get started, check out our website or see our current promotions.

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Both Alex and Patrick were knowledgeable, courteous, and professional. They made a change that might have solved the recent problem and have structured a more complete solution. We agreed to this...
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508-321-3089

You Can Depend On Rodenhiser

Call Rodenhiser at 508-321-3089

When you are looking for plumbing, electrical, heating or air conditioning in the Route 495 / 128 area, you will be delighted that you called Southborough MA' trusted choice since 1928.

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^*Conditions apply, not applicable with any other offer, nor off any trip or diagnostic fee, or previous service. No cash value. Call For details. ^*For WEB-AC-CHECK Offer also: Promotional price limited to 1 system per home, additional units will be billed at full price. Refrigerant not included. Includes standard 1in air filter, other sizes subject to additional charges. Residential systems only. Must reside within our service area. *For WEB-A-50 Offer also: Not valid on preventative maintenance nor prior purchases. *For WEB-A-75 Offer also: Call or see specials page for more information. *For WEB-H-3250 Offer also: Subject to rebate eligibility and qualifying system choice. The $189 A/C System check examines and assesses the mechanical parts of the air conditioning system. Refrigerant not included. Promotional price applicable to 1 unit per household, additional units will charged at standard rate. Limited to residential homes within our service area. *$79 per drain. The $79 drain evaluation offer does not include any modifications, such as the installation of cleanouts or access points, required to perform the inspection on older homes with limited access to existing plumbing infrastructure. Conditions apply, not compatible with any other offer or discount.
^*Heating system check terms and conditions: Residential Only. Must reside within our service area. Offer only available to 1 unit per household additional units are at full price. Can not be combined with other offers
^*Late Season Special Extra Conditions: Gas Systems only. No Discounts on oil systems. Promotional price limited to one system per home, additional systems will be charged at full price. Residential Systems only. Must reside within our service area. ^*For EV Charger Offer also: valid only when the system is purchased through Rodenhiser.