Water Heater Repair | Gas and Electric Tanks Fixed in Levittown, PA

No hot water, or not enough: start here

When the hot water goes, the cause is usually one of a few parts, and the symptoms point to which. A short check before the plumber arrives can save time, and it can also tell you whether the problem is the heater at all.

A leaking tank: what it means and what to do

Leaking tank versus leaking fitting is the first thing a plumber settles. A puddle around the base of the unit, or a leak around the unit that returns after drying, is the usual sign. A leak at a fitting, a relief valve or a drain valve is often repairable. A leak from the tank body is not. Water that weeps from the seam or pools under the tank means the steel lining has failed, and no part replacement will fix it.

The first move is the same for a fitting leak and a tank leak. Cut power to the unit, or shut the gas valve on it, then close the cold inlet valve above the tank and catch any runoff in a bucket. Then call. A plumber can tell in minutes whether the leak is a fitting or the tank, which decides everything that follows. A leaking tank is urgent, so the first plumber open that day is offered to you. When the tank is the leak, the page on replacing the whole unit explains what a new unit involves.

If water has already reached the floor or the walls, the wet materials need attention too, and the water damage drying page explains the drying steps. A heater in a closet or finished space deserves a drain pan and a quick look each season.

Gas or electric: what fails and what a plumber checks

The two kinds of heater share a tank but heat the water differently, so they fail in different places. A plumber who knows which you own can bring the right parts and fix it in one visit.

Gas units rely on a burner, a pilot or electronic igniter, a thermocouple that proves the flame is lit and a gas control valve. Most no-hot-water calls on gas units end at the pilot, the thermocouple or the igniter. The plumber checks the flame color and shape, the venting and the draft, since poor venting is both a performance and a safety issue.

Electric units use heating elements, thermostats and a high-limit safety switch. A tripped breaker is the first check. After that comes the thermostat, then the upper and lower elements, tested with a meter. The plumber swaps whichever has failed, and drains the tank first if an element has to come out.

• Gas: pilot, igniter, thermocouple, gas control valve, venting and draft
• Electric: breaker, thermostat, upper and lower elements, high-limit switch
• Both: relief valve, anode rod, dip tube, drain valve and expansion tank

Small signs worth reporting

Several symptoms are minor on their own but useful to mention when you call. A rumbling or popping sound usually means scale. A pilot that burns yellow instead of blue suggests a combustion issue and should be looked at promptly. Water that is lukewarm after a shower or two means the lower element or the dip tube may be failing. And a heater that cycles on and off without a call for hot water can point to a leaking valve or a failing thermostat.

None of these needs a middle-of-the-night call unless they come with a leak or a gas smell, but each is easier to deal with early than after it fails.

Original Levitt homes that heat with a boiler

This section is for owners of original Levitt houses. Courier Times reporting describes them as slab homes with radiant heat in copper pipe. A house with that original system has a boiler and a floor loop, and both are separate from the heater that supplies your taps.

A plumber can tell the two apart in a moment. If the floors are cold and the water at the faucets is hot, the boiler side is the question. If the taps run cold and the floors are warm, the water heater is. Say which, and say that your house is an original Levitt, so the right plumber is sent. Leaks in a floor loop are hard to see for the reasons explained on the page about leaks under the slab.

Source: Bucks County Courier Times via AOL.

Water source, permits and who to ask

The Lower Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority supplies water in the Levittown area from Delaware River surface water and wells, according to the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority consumer report. The report does not give a hardness figure for that supplier alone, so ask your supplier for its current report before deciding whether scale is a concern at your address.

Permits depend on where you are. Philadelphia, Bustleton included, requires a plumbing permit and a signed certification form for a replacement heater, and a minor repair such as stopping a leak needs neither. For Bristol Township or Bensalem, ask the Building and Planning office whether your job needs one. Repairing a failed part is generally a different question from replacing the unit, and the plumber will tell you which you have.

Source: Philadelphia L&I plumbing permits; Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority report.

Water heater questions, answered