Water Heater Repair in Chesapeake, VA
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Chesapeake's storms take your water heater's power with them
Winter nights here average 33°F from December through February, so your water heater works harder for six months straight to keep up. That steady demand wears on the heating element and the thermostat that controls it, and you notice it as water that's warm but never quite hot.
Chesapeake has logged 58 damaging wind events and 8 winter storms over the past ten years, and storms like these cut power. Most electric water heaters come back on by themselves once power returns, but a gas unit with an electronic ignition needs that ignition to relight, and if it does not, you find out with a cold shower.
- 33°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 6 months
- November through April, the months homes here need heat
- 22%
- of Virginia 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 $320 a year off hot water for a typical Virginia home.
Estimates for a typical Virginia home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and Virginia 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?
- The most common cause is the tank itself has corroded through and is failing from the inside. Sediment builds up at the bottom of the tank over the years, and it traps water against the steel until it rusts a hole. Water can also come from a loose drain valve, a failed temperature and pressure relief valve, or fittings that have worked loose, and those can sometimes be fixed. Once the tank itself is leaking, the water heater needs to be replaced, not repaired. A contractor can tell you which one you are dealing with in a few minutes.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- Most of the time this means the thermocouple has worn out. That's the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve it's safe to keep gas flowing. When it fails, the valve shuts off the gas as soon as you let go of the button, even though the pilot lit just fine. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft blowing the flame around can also cause it, and a contractor can check which one it is. Don't keep trying to relight it over and over. If it won't hold after a couple of tries, it needs a look.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most tankless water heater problems can be repaired without replacing the unit. Common repairs include descaling the heat exchanger of mineral buildup, replacing an igniter or flow sensor, and clearing a blocked intake or exhaust vent. Error codes on the display usually point straight to what's wrong. A contractor can read the code and tell you whether it's a repair or, in rare cases involving a cracked heat exchanger, a replacement.