Water Heater Repair in Leesburg, VA
Tell us what your water heater is doing, and a licensed contractor who covers Loudoun County will get in touch.
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Storms here knock out the power your water heater needs
Loudoun County has logged 24 winter storms and 279 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and in 2024, 22% of Virginia households lost power for 24 hours or more. A gas water heater with electronic ignition will not relight on its own once the power comes back, so you can end up with a tank of cold water even though nothing inside it failed.
Winter nights here average 26°F from December through February, and homes run their heat from October through April. That is seven months of steady demand on the whole system, and a water heater that goes quiet after an outage will not give any warning before you turn on the tap.
- 26°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 7 months
- October 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 $90 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 tank itself has likely rusted through and is failing. Water heaters corrode from the inside as the glass lining wears down over the years, and once the steel underneath is exposed, it rusts out and starts to weep. A loose drain valve or a fitting can also leak from the bottom, and that part can be replaced, but a leak from the tank body itself means the tank is done and needs to be replaced. A contractor can tell you which one you're dealing with in a few minutes.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The thermocouple is the usual reason. It's the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve the pilot is lit. Once it wears out or sits dirty or out of position, it stops sensing the flame and shuts the gas off, so the pilot won't stay on even though it lights fine at first. A weak gas supply or a draft blowing on the pilot can also cause it, but the thermocouple is worth checking first since it's the most common cause and a straightforward part to replace.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater are repairable. Common issues are a clogged inlet filter, mineral buildup on the heat exchanger, a bad igniter, or an error code pointing to a sensor. A contractor can read the unit's error code and usually knows right away what part is failing. Tankless units run for many years when the heat exchanger is kept clear of scale, so repair is worth doing before considering replacement.