Water Heater Repair in Brunswick, OH
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Eight months of cold water coming in
Water heaters in Brunswick work harder from October through May, when the water coming into the tank is that much colder to start. The burner or the heating element has to run longer to bring it up to temperature, and that extra runtime wears on the thermostat and the heating element in electric units, or the thermocouple and burner assembly in gas ones.
Power loss adds to it. Statewide, 18 percent of households went at least a full day without power in 2024, and this county has seen 15 winter storms and 64 damaging wind events over the past ten years. A gas water heater with a standing pilot will keep working through an outage. One with an electric igniter or a fully electric tank will not, and it will need to be relit or reset once the power is back.
- 22°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 8 months
- October through May, the months homes here need heat
- 18%
- of Ohio 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 $70 a year off hot water for a typical Ohio home.
Estimates for a typical Ohio home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and Ohio 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 of the time it's the tank itself, rusted through from the inside and starting to fail. It can also be the drain valve, which sits low on the tank and can loosen or crack over time. A leak from a fitting or valve can sometimes be fixed. A leak from the tank means the water heater needs to be replaced, since there's no way to patch a steel tank once it's corroded.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The thermocouple is the most common cause. It's the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve it's safe to keep the gas flowing. When it wears out or sits out of position, the valve reads no flame and shuts the gas off, even though the pilot lit fine a second ago. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft in the area can also blow the flame out. A contractor can test the thermocouple and replace it if that's the cause.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless unit are repairable. Mineral buildup on the heat exchanger is common and is cleared with a descaling flush. Igniters, flow sensors, and gas valves can also fail on their own and be replaced without swapping out the whole unit. A contractor can tell you which part is causing the problem once it's diagnosed.