Water Heater Repair in Columbia, MO
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What Columbia's winters do to your water heater
Boone County homes need heat from October through April, and the water coming into your water heater is colder through those same months. On nights averaging 24°F, the ground and the pipes feeding your house cool down, so the burner or heating element has to run longer to bring that water up to temperature. A unit that is already struggling tends to give out under that extra load rather than in the milder months.
Power is the other piece. In 2024, 19% of Missouri households went at least a full day without power, and this area has logged 8 winter storms and 54 damaging wind events over the past ten years. A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps heating through an outage. Electric units and gas models with electronic ignition shut down, and some need to be relit or reset once power comes back before they'll heat water again.
- 24°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 7 months
- October through April, the months homes here need heat
- 19%
- of Missouri 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 $80 a year off hot water for a typical Missouri home.
Estimates for a typical Missouri home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and Missouri 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 rusted through from the inside and is starting to fail. Sediment builds up on the bottom of the tank over years of use, and it traps moisture against the steel until it corrodes a hole. Water can also drip down from a loose fitting, a bad drain valve, or the temperature and pressure relief valve above, so it is worth checking those before assuming the tank is done. If the leak is coming from the tank itself, the water heater needs to be replaced, since a rusted tank cannot be patched or sealed.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- Most of the time this means the thermocouple has worn out and can no longer tell the gas valve that the pilot is lit, so the valve shuts the gas off. A dirty or clogged pilot orifice can also cause a weak flame that goes out on its own. Less often, a draft from a vent or nearby door is blowing the flame out. A contractor can test the thermocouple and clean or replace the parts that are causing it, and this is a repair a homeowner should not try to force by holding the gas button down repeatedly.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most tankless water heater problems are repairable rather than a reason to replace the unit. Common issues include a clogged inlet filter, mineral scale built up on the heat exchanger, a failed igniter, or an error code pointing to a specific sensor. Because tankless units run on electronic controls, a contractor needs to read the error code or test the components directly to know which part has failed. Regular descaling helps prevent scale buildup from causing repeat problems.