Water Heater Repair in Spearfish, SD
Tell us what your water heater is doing, and a licensed contractor who covers Lawrence County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Cold winters keep your water heater working hard
Homes in Lawrence County need heat from September through June, ten months of the year. Your water heater is part of that load, running through nights that average 13°F from December through February.
That kind of steady demand wears on the heating element and the thermostat that controls it. When one of them starts to go, you notice hot water that runs out faster than it used to, or water that never quite gets hot.
- 13°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 10 months
- September through June, 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 often the tank itself has rusted through, and once that happens the tank cannot be repaired, only replaced. Sediment builds up in the bottom of the tank over years, and it corrodes the steel from the inside until a leak forms. Water pooling underneath can also come from a loose drain valve or a fitting that has failed, and those can be repaired. A contractor can tell you within a few minutes which one you have.
- 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 lit. When it wears out it can no longer hold that signal, so the gas valve shuts the pilot off as a safety measure. A weak pilot flame, a draft in the area, or a clogged pilot tube can cause the same thing. A standing pilot does not run on electricity, so this is not related to a power outage.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless unit are repairable. Mineral buildup on the heat exchanger is common and is cleared by flushing the system, a service worth doing on a regular schedule since it affects how well the unit heats water. Igniters, flow sensors, and circuit boards can also fail on their own and be replaced without replacing the whole unit. A contractor can check the error code the unit is showing and tell you what's actually wrong.