Water Heater Repair in Austin & San Antonio

Check the simple things first. On an electric heater, look for a tripped breaker, then press the red reset button on the high-limit switch behind the upper access panel. If it trips again, an element or thermostat has failed and it is time to call. On a gas heater, see whether the pilot is out. If it relights and holds, you may be fine; if it goes out again, the thermocouple or gas valve is the likely fault. A tankless unit will usually show an error code on the display. If the heater is leaking, skip the troubleshooting, shut off the water supply and the power or gas, and call. We answer around the clock.

If the tank used to keep up and now does not, something inside changed. On an electric unit the usual cause is a failed lower element: the upper element heats the top of the tank, so you get a few minutes of hot water and then it goes cold. A broken dip tube lets cold water mix at the top instead of the bottom and has the same effect. A thick sediment layer takes up space and blocks heat transfer. All three are repairs on a tank that is otherwise sound. If nothing has changed but the household has grown, the tank may simply be too small, and we can talk about a larger unit or a tankless system.

Rusty water from the hot taps only, when the cold runs clear, means corrosion inside the water heater. The sacrificial anode rod is there to corrode instead of the tank, and once it is used up the tank starts rusting. If we catch it early, a new anode and a flush can stop it. If the tank is already rusting through, replacement is the answer. A rotten-egg smell is different: it is usually sulfur-reducing bacteria reacting with the anode rod, common in tanks that sit warm and unused, such as a guest bathroom or a second home. Flushing the tank and switching to a different type of anode rod typically clears it.

Yes, but not always with the valve. The temperature and pressure relief valve opens when the tank gets too hot or the pressure gets too high, and a small drip means it is doing its job. The question is why. Sometimes the valve itself is worn and will not seat. More often in Central Texas the house has a pressure reducing valve and no expansion tank, so every heating cycle pushes the pressure up until the relief valve weeps. Never cap or plug a relief valve. Have it checked, and if the cause is pressure, an expansion tank or PRV adjustment fixes the source.

On most gas water heaters the pilot is held open by a thermocouple, a small sensor that sits in the pilot flame. When it weakens or gets dirty, it stops sensing the flame and the gas valve shuts the pilot off as a safety measure. That is the most common cause and a straightforward repair. Other causes are a dirty pilot orifice, a draft problem at the flue, or a failing gas control valve. On sealed-combustion units, a blocked air intake or a dirty flame arrestor screen underneath can starve the burner. If you smell gas at any point, do not relight it. Leave the area and call from outside.