Water Heater Repair in Farmington, MO
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Long winters and power outages both work against your water heater
Water heaters here run hardest from October through April, seven months of the year, with winter nights averaging 25°F. Colder water coming into the tank means the burner or the heating element has to run longer to keep up, and that extra run time is what wears out a thermostat or an element before its time.
St. Francois County has also logged 7 winter storms and 54 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and storms like that knock out power. Most electric water heaters come back on by themselves once power returns, but if yours does not, or it is not recovering the way it used to, that is worth having looked at.
- 25°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 $270 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?
- Most often the tank itself has rusted through and is leaking from the inside out. Water heater tanks are lined, but once that lining fails the steel underneath corrodes and no repair fixes it. It can also be a loose drain valve or a fitting where the water lines connect, and those a contractor can tighten or replace. If the tank is the source, the water heater needs to be replaced, not repaired.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The most common cause is a worn thermocouple, the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve the flame is lit. When it wears out it stops sensing the flame correctly and the gas valve shuts off the pilot as a safety measure. It can also be a weak pilot flame from a dirty orifice, or a draft blowing the flame out. A contractor can test the thermocouple and replace it if that is the problem.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater are repairable. Mineral buildup on the heat exchanger is common and is cleared by flushing the unit, especially important if the home has hard water. Igniter failures, sensor faults, and blocked intake or exhaust vents are also things a contractor can diagnose and fix without replacing the whole unit.