Richmond winters can get cold. So, whether you want a relaxing bath during the colder parts of the Richmond winter or you’re just trying to do your dishes, you’ll need your hot water. That’s why it leaves a sinking feeling in your stomach when you turn it on and only get cold water coming out. Discover the common reasons your water heater may not provide hot water for your home.
Leaking Hot Water Heater
As you use hot water, your water heater replaces the hot water with cold water, and then the unit heats it. When you have a leak in your water heater, it’s constantly having to bring in new water to heat. If the leak is substantial enough, it’ll prevent the water from ever heating to the temperature you desire.
Fuel Supply Issue
If you have a gas water heater, a fuel supply issue will prevent the heater from warming the water effectively. This could be a problem from the gas supplier itself. However, it could also be a problem with the gas regulator that goes from your gas line to your water heater. Double check that your gas valve is in the correct position. This could also prevent the heater from working properly.
Faulty Electric Heating Element
Electric water heaters don’t have the same fuel supply problems you’ll encounter with a natural gas water heater. However, they do have electric heating elements that malfunction. That element could fail to get as hot as needed. It could also have an electrical fault or switch problem, preventing the element from heating the water.
Ignition Issues
For natural gas water heaters, you’ll have a pilot light that ignites the burner when it’s time. Problems with your pilot light will prevent the burner from lighting. If you have a standing pilot light which stays on all the time, it may have blown out. However, most modern hot water heaters have an electronic ignition, which may have a loose connection or need replacing.
Thermostat Issues
The water heater has an internal electronic thermostat to regulate heating cycles. When these thermostats go bad, they may not trigger the heating cycle properly, leaving the water cold.
Dirty Thermocouple
Gas water heaters have a special safety device called a thermocouple. This prevents the gas from flowing into the burn chamber without the proper heat to ignite it. These get dirty over time, requiring periodic cleaning to keep them flowing properly. As this gets dirty, it prevents the gas from flowing to start the burner.
Make sure you have all the hot water you need for your daily life. Call to schedule water heater repair services with our expert plumbers at Assure Plumbing & Septic today.