Water Heater Repair in Cookeville, TN
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Winter storms put your water heater to the test
Putnam County has seen 11 winter storms and 81 damaging wind events over the past ten years. Any one of them can knock out power, and an electric water heater stops heating the moment it does. Most units come back on by themselves once power returns. If yours does not, or the water is never quite hot afterward, that is worth having looked at.
Winter nights here average 30°F from December through February, and homes run their heat from October through April. That is seven months where your water heater is working alongside the furnace instead of on its own, drawing on the same electrical panel and, in many homes, sharing space with equipment that is also under strain. A water heater already due for a repair tends to show it first in the cold months.
- 30°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 and is holding water it can no longer contain. This happens as the glass lining inside the tank wears down over the years and the steel underneath starts to corrode. A loose drain valve or a failed temperature and pressure relief valve can also drip water down the side and pool at the base, so it looks like the tank but isn't. Once the tank itself is rusted through, it needs to be replaced, not repaired. A contractor can tell you which one you're dealing with.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The thermocouple or flame sensor is likely worn out and isn't telling the gas valve that the pilot is lit, so the valve shuts the gas off as a safety measure. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft blowing across the flame can cause the same thing. A cracked or failing gas valve is less common but will also cause this. A contractor can test the thermocouple and valve to find out which one is failing.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater are repairable. The heat exchanger can scale up over time, the ignition system can fail, or a sensor can go bad, and these are things a contractor can replace or clean out. Mineral buildup is common in areas with hard water and shows up as reduced flow or the unit shutting off during use. A contractor can flush the unit and test the parts to know what's actually wrong before replacing anything.