Water Heater Repair in Sioux Falls, SD
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Cold winters mean your water heater never gets a break
Winter nights in Minnehaha County average 10°F from December through February, and the heat in your house runs from September through May. That is nine months where your water heater is working alongside your furnace, not instead of it.
The heating element and thermostat are what carry that load. When one starts to go, you notice the hot water running out sooner than it used to, or the tap never quite reaching the temperature you set it to.
- 10°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 9 months
- September 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?
- Water at the bottom of the tank usually means the tank itself has rusted through from the inside, and once that happens the tank needs to be replaced, not patched. It can also mean the drain valve is loose or the pressure relief valve is letting water past it, both of which a plumber can check in a few minutes. If the leak is coming from the tank body itself, standing water on the floor around it is your sign not to wait, since a failing tank can go from a slow drip to a real flood.
- 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 off as a safety measure. A dirty or partly blocked pilot orifice can cause the same thing. Either part is a straightforward fix for a plumber, and a standing pilot like this uses no electricity at all, so a power outage isn't the cause.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless unit can be repaired rather than replaced. Common issues are a clogged inlet filter, mineral buildup on the heat exchanger from hard water, or a failed igniter, and all of these can be cleaned or swapped out. A plumber can run the unit's error code through diagnostics to find out exactly what's failing before deciding whether repair or replacement makes sense.