Water Heater Repair in Parkville, MO
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Winter here is hard on a water heater
Water heaters here run harder from October through April, seven months of the year. On nights that average 22°F, the incoming water is colder, and the tank has to work longer to bring it up to temperature. That extra run time wears on the burner or heating element, and on a gas unit, the igniter is often what gives out first.
Platte County has logged 10 winter storms and 68 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and in 2024, 19% of Missouri households lost power for at least 24 hours. Most water heaters come back on by themselves once power returns. A standing pilot does not need power at all. But a longer outage during a cold stretch can still leave you without hot water until the tank catches back up.
- 22°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 failing from the inside, where years of sediment and rust wear through the steel until water seeps out at the bottom seam. It can also be a loose drain valve, a failed temperature and pressure relief valve, or condensation dripping down from a fitting higher up. If the leak is coming from the tank itself, the water heater needs to be replaced, not repaired, since there's no way to patch a hole in the steel. A contractor can check the valves and fittings first to rule those out before you assume the worst.
- 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 sense the pilot flame, so the gas valve shuts it off as a safety measure. A dirty or clogged pilot orifice can cause the same problem by starving the flame of gas. Wind or a draft from a nearby vent can also blow a weak pilot out repeatedly. The thermocouple is an inexpensive part to replace, and a contractor can test it along with the gas valve to find out which one is actually failing.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most tankless water heater problems are repairable. Mineral buildup on the heat exchanger, a failed igniter, a clogged inlet filter, or an error code from a sensor are all things a contractor can diagnose and fix without replacing the unit. Tankless units also tend to log an error code when something goes wrong, which points a contractor straight to the problem. Replacement usually only comes up when the heat exchanger itself has cracked or corroded through.