Water Heater Repair in Mitchell, SD
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Cold groundwater keeps your water heater working longer here
Winter nights in Mitchell average 11°F from December through February, and the water coming into your tank starts out cold. The unit has to work harder to bring it up to temperature, and it does that work for eight months of the year, October through May.
That extra strain shows up first in the heating element or burner, since those are the parts doing the work to close the gap between cold water and hot. A tank that used to keep up may start running out of hot water faster, or take longer to recover between uses.
- 11°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 8 months
- October through May, the months homes here need heat
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new water heater would cut about $50 a year off hot water for a typical South Dakota home.
Estimates for a typical South Dakota home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and South Dakota 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 of the time this means the tank itself has rusted through and is failing. Water heaters have a steel tank with a glass lining inside, and once that lining cracks, the steel underneath starts to corrode. A leak from the bottom usually isn't something a contractor can patch or seal, since the tank is already breaking down from the inside. It's also worth checking that the leak isn't actually coming from a loose drain valve or a fitting near the bottom, since those can sometimes be tightened or replaced instead of the whole tank.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- This is usually the thermocouple, the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve the pilot is lit. When it wears out or gets coated in soot, it stops sensing the flame and shuts the gas off even though the pilot is burning fine. A weak or dirty pilot orifice can cause the same problem, since a small or flickering flame won't hold the thermocouple's attention. A draft pulling the flame sideways will also blow it out, so it's worth checking whether anything nearby is causing air movement around the unit.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most tankless water heater problems are repairable. The heat exchanger, the igniter, the flow sensor and the venting can all be serviced or replaced without swapping out the whole unit. Mineral buildup inside the heat exchanger is one of the most common issues, especially on units that haven't been descaled, and that can usually be flushed out rather than replaced. A contractor can look at the specific fault code the unit is showing and tell you whether it's a repair or something that points to replacing the unit.