Water Heater Repair in Leland, NC
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Storms here knock out power, and your water heater feels it
Brunswick County has logged 27 damaging wind events and 3 winter storms over the past ten years. Add in that a quarter of North Carolina households went at least 24 hours without power in 2024, and it is worth knowing what your water heater does when the power drops.
Most electric water heaters come back on by themselves once power returns. A gas unit with a standing pilot does not need power to stay lit, but one with electronic ignition can lose its pilot in an outage and will not relight on its own. If your water heater is cold after the power has been out, or the hot water never came back, that is why.
- 37°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 5 months
- November through March, the months homes here need heat
- 25%
- of North Carolina 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 $300 a year off hot water for a typical North Carolina home.
Estimates for a typical North Carolina home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and North Carolina 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 starting to fail. Water heaters have a steel tank with a glass lining inside, and once that lining cracks, the steel underneath corrodes and eventually leaks. Water pooling underneath can also come from a loose drain valve or a fitting at the bottom of the tank, which a contractor can tighten or replace. But if the tank itself is leaking, it needs to be replaced, not repaired.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The thermocouple or flame sensor is likely worn out and no longer telling the gas valve that the pilot is burning. That part sits right in the pilot flame and wears down over years of heat, and once it fails, the gas valve shuts off the pilot as a safety measure. A weak gas supply or a draft blowing out the flame can cause the same thing. A contractor can test the thermocouple and replace it if that's the cause.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most tankless water heater problems are repairable. The igniter, the flow sensor, and the heat exchanger can all be tested and replaced individually rather than swapping out the whole unit. Mineral buildup inside the heat exchanger is common too, and flushing the unit can restore hot water flow. A contractor can run the error codes the unit displays to figure out which part is at fault.