Can Gas Hot Water Heaters Be Repaired

If your water heater is not very old and it s not doing its job it might need an easy repair instead of a costly replacement.

Can gas hot water heaters be repaired.

Answer when flooding damages your water heater for the safety of your home and family repair is never recommended. Water heaters can occasionally be repaired by replacing a few key elements. A replaceable part is failing. However if you have a leak if your water heater is older than 8 12 years or you just wish to upgrade and cut your energy expense it is time for a new heater.

If your water heater s gas or electric has been submerged in water do not attempt to repair install or operate the product. You should be able to spot a leak because water will drip from the heater and pool underneath. A leaky water heater could be the result of a faulty t p temperature and pressure relief valve or a leak from a nearby plumbing connection or even the tank itself. The unit must be replaced as soon as possible.

Digical getty images. Should a leaking hot water heater be repaired or replaced. Let s think about common problems you may encounter. A leak does not always doom a hot water tank.

Rheem manufacturing also advises on a technical service bulletin titled submerged water heaters. The unit is less than ten years old. The other less common problem would be the gas valve. Gas hot water heater troubleshooting usually leads you to the thermocouple.

You may be able to repair your water heater if. A bad gas valve will not allow any gas to go to the burner or pilot light. The main reason for installing new units is damage to the tank as this cannot be repaired. If you already used a digital multimeter to test the disconnected thermocouple for around 20mv when holding down the pilot button and a sparked lit pilot your gas pilot aluminum tube may still need disassembly and cleaning sometimes of an inner inline orifice near the flame tip to provide the sufficient heat to the thermocouple tip during normal operation of the water heater.

Regular maintenance will extend the life of your water heater and some repairs such as replacing a pressure relief valve or heating element are pretty simple. Depending on where the leak occurs you may be able to fix the problem before scrapping. Due to the conductivity of water along with its corrosive properties all the operational controls are rendered unsafe. If you have had your water heater for 10 years or more you may find it more cost effective to simply install a new unit rather than paying for repairs.