Emergency Water Heater Repair in Windsor, CO

What to do while you wait for a water heater emergency call

A failed tank can empty itself onto the floor quickly. Cut its supply and its power before anything else.

• ✓Close the cold water inlet valve on the pipe at the top of the tank.
• ✓Turn off the breaker for an electric unit, or turn the gas control to off for a gas unit.
• ✓Move belongings away from the tank if the floor has no drain.
• ✓Do not plug or cap the relief valve discharge pipe, because it is a safety device.
• ✓If you smell gas, leave the house and call 911 before anything else.

What common water heater problems mean

The rule that decides most calls is simple. Anything outside the tank, such as a valve, element, thermostat or fitting, can be repaired. A leak through the tank wall cannot, and the answer is water heater installation and replacement.

Repair or replace: a quick test

What gets repaired and what it does

Gas heaters rely on a pilot or igniter, a thermocouple that proves the flame, and a gas control valve. Electric heaters use two heating elements and two thermostats. Both types have an anode rod, a sacrificial metal rod that corrodes first and protects the steel tank.

A temperature and pressure relief valve sits near the top of every tank. The International Plumbing Code (IPC) requires the valve to have a discharge pipe. A valve that drips steadily is either reacting to pressure or has worn out, and it needs attention either way because it is the last safeguard against over-pressure.

Gas units also vent combustion gases. A blocked or backdrafting flue can put carbon monoxide into a home, and Colorado law requires carbon monoxide alarms in most homes with fuel-burning appliances. Test the alarms after any gas appliance repair.

Water heater trouble in Windsor homes

Basements and utility rooms hold most Windsor water heaters. That keeps the heater out of the cold, but a slow leak can run for days before anyone looks. If the unit sits above finished space or near stored belongings, a drain pan with a drain line is worth having.

Scale from the water supply collects on elements and the tank floor, and how fast depends on your provider. The Town of Windsor, Fort Collins-Loveland Water District and North Weld County Water District all serve parts of town. Draining a few gallons from the tank each year is a cheap way to slow sediment.

Check the temperature setting after any repair. The Department of Energy suggests 120 degrees Fahrenheit for most households.

If you smell gas near a heater, do not light anything or flip a switch. Leave the house, then call your gas utility's emergency line and 911 from outside. A heater that backdrafts or leaves soot around the draft hood should stay off until it has been looked at, because the cause can involve carbon monoxide.

Windsor sits at about 4,800 feet, and gas burners are rated for sea level unless they are adjusted. A technician checks the flame and the manufacturer's high-altitude instructions during a repair, which is one more reason to avoid a patch that only restores hot water for a week.

Check the age and the warranty before approving a repair. Many tank warranties cover the tank for several years and the parts for a shorter time, and the serial number shows the manufacture date. If the tank is out of warranty and near the end of its life, weigh the repair against a replacement, which can be quoted on the same visit.

Set the thermostat deliberately. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit for household water heaters to limit scalding, and a lower setting also slows scale and saves energy. If the dial has drifted or the heater cannot hold that temperature, that is a repair question as well.

Know where the cold-water shutoff above the heater is before you need it. Turning it off stops the tank from refilling during a leak, which limits the damage and gives the technician a dry place to start.

Sediment is the most common slow problem. Minerals settle at the bottom of the tank, insulate the water from the burner or element, and cause popping or rumbling as steam bubbles push through. A tank that has never been flushed may need the sediment loosened gradually, and a technician can tell whether a flush will help or whether the tank is past it.

Pressure matters as well. A relief valve that drips after every heating cycle often points to a missing or waterlogged expansion tank or to household pressure above what the system should see, and replacing the valve alone does not cure it. A gauge on a hose bib shows the pressure in a minute.

Heater calls come from across Windsor, from the older streets near Main Street to newer neighborhoods such as RainDance, Water Valley and Highland Meadows. Newer homes often keep the tank in a mechanical room or garage, and older ones tend to have it in a basement.

What a water heater repair call costs

The price depends on which part failed and how hard it is to reach. A thermostat or element is a smaller repair than a gas control valve, and a leaking tank is a replacement.

A repair that fails to hold on an older tank is money spent twice. The quote should compare repair against replacement honestly, and you decide.

Water heater repair questions from Windsor homeowners