Water Heater Repair in Concord, CA
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What Concord's power outages do to a water heater
Contra Costa County sees its share of damaging wind, 166 events over the last ten years. Wind knocks out power, and 17% of California households lost power for 24 hours or more last year.
A gas water heater with electric ignition won't relight itself when the power drops, even though the tank still has gas. You will notice it as cold water that has no clear cause, since nothing looks broken and no pilot light needs relighting. Most homes here need heat for six months of the year, November through April, so a water heater that stops working during a winter outage gets noticed fast.
- 41°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 starting to fail. Water heaters have a steel tank with a glass lining inside, and once that lining cracks, the steel underneath corrodes and eventually leaks. A loose drain valve or a fitting at the bottom can also leak and look the same from a distance. If the tank itself is leaking, it needs to be replaced, not repaired, since there is no way to patch a tank that holds standing hot water under pressure.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The thermocouple or flame sensor is likely worn out and no longer telling the gas valve the pilot is lit, so the valve shuts off the gas as a safety measure. A weak pilot flame, a draft blowing across it, or a clogged pilot tube can cause the same thing. A licensed contractor can test the thermocouple and replace it if that is the cause, since it is a simple part that wears out over years of use.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater can be repaired rather than requiring a full replacement. Common repairs include cleaning mineral scale off the heat exchanger, replacing an igniter or flow sensor, and clearing a blocked vent. A contractor can run the unit's diagnostic codes to find out which part has failed before deciding what needs to be fixed.