Water Heater Troubleshooting: How to Pinpoint the Problem

A malfunctioning water heater can be more than an annoyance, it can also affect your family’s health and safety when there is not enough hot water for cleaning and sanitizing. Some of the following water heater troubleshooting tips can help you determine what might be causing the equipment to work incorrectly.

No Hot Water

If there’s no hot water coming from the equipment, it may be a simple matter of a tripped circuit breaker or lack of power coming to the heater. Make sure that there are no tripped circuit breakers and that the system is plugged in and receiving power.

A water heater can malfunction because of an extinguished pilot light. If the pilot light isn’t lit, the burners in the water heater won’t ignite and hot water won’t be created. Relight the pilot according to manufacturer’s instructions or contact your plumbing professional for assistance.

Unusual Noises

Water heaters run quietly, so any unusual noises coming from inside the unit could signal a problem. In many cases, the sounds are caused by scale or minerals that have broken loose and are creating noises. The tank should be drained and cleaned of any accumulated scale and sediment.

Water Leaks

Water on the floor could be a sign of a leaking storage tank. If there is water on the floor and elsewhere on the unit, it could mean that the leak is coming from a damaged pipe or loose valve. Defective heating elements or blocked vents could also cause leaks. Tighten any loose valves and look at pipes to see if there are any leaks.

Otherwise, call your plumbing professional for expert help in finding and repairing the leak. Contact us today for more information on water heater troubleshooting and for professional help with water heater repair or replacement.

At Sobieski Services, Inc., our goal is to help our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey learn more about energy and home comfort issues – especially HVAC and plumbing issues – so that they can save money and live in healthier, more comfortable homes.

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