What it usually looks like
- Every hot tap in the house runs cold, not just one
- Water was lukewarm for a day or two before going fully cold
- A gas heater is silent and the pilot window shows no flame
- An electric heater's breaker is tripped or trips again after reset
- A tankless unit shows an error code on its display or remote
- You hear the heater clicking or trying to ignite with no result
Likely causes, most common first
Pilot light or igniter failure on a gas heater
Standing-pilot heaters depend on a thermocouple to prove the pilot is lit. When the thermocouple weakens, the gas valve shuts the pilot off as a safety measure. Newer heaters use a hot-surface igniter or spark module with a flame sensor, and those fail too. Either way, no pilot means no burner, and the tank goes cold within a day.
High-limit reset tripped on an electric heater
Behind the upper access panel is a red button on the thermostat. It trips when the tank overheats, which happens when a thermostat sticks or an element shorts to ground. Pressing it may restore hot water, but if it trips again the underlying part has failed.
A burned-out heating element
Electric tanks have an upper and lower element. When the upper one fails you get no hot water at all; when the lower one fails you get a little hot water that runs out fast. Sediment burying the lower element in well-water homes shortens its life considerably.
Tankless lockout
A Rinnai or similar unit will shut itself down for a blocked intake or exhaust, a scale-clogged heat exchanger, a failed flow sensor, or a gas supply problem. The code on the display narrows it down. Scale is the usual culprit on units that have never been descaled.
Gas supply interruption
A propane tank at an empty level, a gas meter locked by the utility, or a shutoff valve bumped closed during other work will all look like a dead heater. Check whether the gas range lights before assuming the heater is at fault.
Failed gas control valve or thermostat
The gas valve on the front of a tank heater contains the thermostat and the safety circuit. When it fails internally, the pilot may stay lit but the main burner never fires. This is a part replacement, though on an older tank it is worth weighing against a new heater.
Safe things to check yourself first
- Confirm it is every hot tap, not one fixture; a single cold shower is a valve problem, not a heater problem
- Electric heater: check the breaker panel for a tripped double-pole breaker and reset it once
- Gas heater: look through the sight glass for a pilot flame and check that the gas valve knob is on, not pilot or off
- Follow the printed relighting instructions on the heater label one time only; if the pilot will not stay lit, stop
- Tankless: write down any error code on the display, then power the unit off and on once
- Propane homes: check the tank gauge
Stop and call if
- You smell gas anywhere near the heater or meter
- The breaker trips again immediately after being reset
- There is water on the floor around the heater along with the loss of hot water
- Scorch marks, soot or melted plastic around the burner door or vent
- The pilot relights but goes out again within minutes
How we diagnose and fix it
- Identify the heater type and age from the data plate, which tells us the likely failure before the panel comes off
- On gas tanks, test the thermocouple or flame sensor and igniter, check gas pressure at the valve, and inspect the burner and venting
- On electric tanks, meter both elements and thermostats for continuity and ground faults, and replace the failed parts with the tank drained only as far as needed
- On tankless units, read the fault history, check intake and exhaust, and descale the heat exchanger with our pump when scale is the cause
- Give you a flat price for the repair and an honest comparison against replacement when the tank is near the end of its life
Around Kitsap, Pierce and Mason counties
Winter calls for no hot water spike after the kind of cold snaps that hit in December 2022 and January 2024. Heaters in unheated garages and crawlspaces in Port Orchard, Bremerton and out toward Belfair struggle to keep pilot flames lit when drafts come through vents, and tankless units mounted on exterior walls can trip a freeze fault. Well-water homes on the Kitsap and Mason side also burn through lower elements faster because sediment settles over them. If your heater has never been flushed, that is worth asking about.
Questions people ask
How long does it take for hot water to come back after a repair?
A 40 or 50 gallon gas tank recovers in about an hour; an electric tank takes closer to two. A tankless unit produces hot water the moment it is running again.
Is it worth fixing a water heater that is over ten years old?
Sometimes. A thermocouple or element on an otherwise sound tank is a modest repair. A gas valve on a twelve-year-old tank that is already showing rust at the fittings usually is not, and we will say so rather than sell you a part that buys six months.
Can I relight the pilot myself?
Yes, by following the label on the heater, once. If it will not stay lit after one careful attempt, the thermocouple or gas valve has likely failed and repeated attempts just fill the burner compartment with gas.
Why does my electric heater keep tripping the breaker?
An element has usually shorted to the tank. Resetting the breaker repeatedly can damage it and the wiring. Leave it off and have the element replaced.
Do you work on tankless heaters from other installers?
Yes. We service Rinnai and other major brands regardless of who installed them, and descaling is one of our most common tankless calls.
Can you come out the same day?
Often. No hot water is a priority call and we schedule evenings and Saturdays. Call (360) 812-1124 and Corinne will give you a real arrival window.