Water Heater Repair in Cleveland, TN
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Cold and outages both put a water heater to the test here
Winter nights in Bradley County average 32°F from December through February, and the cold months here run October through April, seven months a year. That is a long stretch where the water coming in is cold and the heater has to work to keep up.
The county has also seen 12 winter storms and 60 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and in Tennessee, 20% of households went at least 24 hours without power in 2024. An electric water heater sits dead until the power comes back, then it should switch back on by itself. A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps running through an outage, but if that pilot goes out, someone has to relight it by hand before there is hot water again.
- 32°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 7 months
- October through April, the months homes here need heat
- 20%
- of Tennessee 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 $280 a year off hot water for a typical Tennessee home.
Estimates for a typical Tennessee home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and Tennessee 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?
- Most often the tank itself has rusted through from the inside and is failing. Water heaters have a steel tank with a glass lining, and once that lining cracks, the steel underneath corrodes until it gives way. A leak can also come from a loose drain valve at the bottom or a fitting that has worked itself loose, which a contractor can check before assuming the tank is done. If the tank is the source, it needs to be replaced, since a leaking tank cannot be patched or repaired.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The most common cause is a worn thermocouple, the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve the flame is lit. When it wears out, it fails to send that signal even though the pilot is burning, so the gas valve shuts off the flame. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft blowing the flame around can cause the same thing. A standing pilot uses no electricity to run, so this issue has nothing to do with your power supply.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most tankless water heater problems are repairs, not replacements. Common issues are a clogged inlet filter, mineral buildup on the heat exchanger, or a failed igniter, and all of these are parts a contractor can service or replace. Tankless units also run diagnostic codes on a display or through a series of flashes, which point a contractor straight to the failed part. Replacement usually only comes up when the heat exchanger itself has cracked.