Water Heater Repair in Pierre, SD
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Cold groundwater keeps your water heater working harder, longer
Winter nights in Hughes County average 10°F from December through February, and that cold reaches the water line coming into your house. Your water heater has to pull that water up to temperature every time you run a tap, and it does that for eight months of the year, October through May. The burner or the heating element runs longer on each cycle than it would somewhere warmer. That extra runtime wears on the parts that make the heat, the gas valve, the burner assembly, the electric element itself.
You notice it as water that takes longer to turn hot, or hot water that runs out faster than it used to. Both point to a heater working harder than it should to keep up with the cold coming in.
- 10°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?
- The tank has likely rusted through from the inside and is starting to fail. Water heaters corrode over years of heating and cooling, and once the tank itself is leaking there is no patch that holds. It could also be a loose drain valve or a fitting at the bottom, which a contractor can check before assuming the tank is done. If the leak is coming from the tank itself, 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 tells the gas valve the pilot is burning. When it wears out it can't sense the flame anymore, so the gas valve shuts off the pilot as a safety measure. Dirt or drafts around the pilot can also blow it out or block it from lighting properly. A contractor can test the thermocouple and replace it if that's the cause.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater can be fixed without replacing the whole unit. Common repairs include cleaning mineral buildup from the heat exchanger, replacing an igniter, or clearing a blocked vent. If the heat exchanger itself has cracked, replacement is usually the only option. A contractor can tell you which one you're dealing with after looking at the unit and its error code.