Water Heater Repair in Bakersfield, CA
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Bakersfield's water heaters answer to power outages and cold snaps
Kern County doesn't get hard winters, but nights from December through February average 37°F, and that's cold enough to make your water heater work harder to keep up. Six months of the year, November through April, it's running more than it does the rest of the time.
Power is the bigger issue here. Statewide, 17% of households went at least a day without power in 2024, and this county has logged 711 damaging wind events over the past ten years. A gas water heater with a standing pilot will keep running through an outage. One with electric ignition won't relight on its own, and you'll notice when the hot water runs out and doesn't come back.
- 37°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 6 months
- November through April, the months homes here need heat
- 17%
- of California households lost power for a day or more in 2024, and a heater with an electric element or electric ignition stops without it
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new water heater would cut about $110 a year off hot water for a typical California home.
Estimates for a typical California home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and California 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 is failing from the inside. Water heater tanks are lined, but once that lining wears out the steel underneath corrodes and starts to seep, usually low on the tank where sediment sits. A leak from the bottom can also come from the drain valve or a fitting nearby, which a contractor can check quickly. If it's the tank itself, it needs to be replaced, not repaired, since there's no way to patch a corroded tank.
- 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 properly and shuts the gas off even though the pilot is lit. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft in the area can also blow the flame out or keep it too weak to register. A thermocouple is inexpensive to replace and often solves the problem on its own.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless unit are repairable. Mineral buildup on the heat exchanger, a failed igniter, or a clogged inlet filter are common issues, and each one has a fixed part behind it. Tankless units also often show an error code, which tells a contractor where to start rather than having to guess. Replacement is usually only needed if the heat exchanger itself has failed.