Water Heater Repair in Fond du Lac, WI
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Nine months of cold ground water, and storms that cut the power
Groundwater coming into your house is cold most of the year here, and your water heater works harder to bring it up to temperature. That extra runtime wears on the heating element in an electric tank and the burner assembly in a gas one, and those are usually the first parts to give out.
Fond du Lac County sees real winter storms, 15 of them over the past ten years, along with 59 damaging wind events. Storms like that knock out power. Most tanks fire back up on their own once power returns, but if yours does not, or the pilot light went out and will not stay lit, that is worth a look before you assume the whole unit is done.
- 13°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 9 months
- September through May, the months homes here need heat
- 18%
- of Wisconsin 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 $40 a year off hot water for a typical Wisconsin home.
Estimates for a typical Wisconsin home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and Wisconsin 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 failing. Once a tank starts leaking from the bottom, it means the inside has corroded and there is no patch for that. It could also be a loose drain valve or a fitting weeping from condensation, so it is worth checking those first before you assume the worst. If the water is coming from underneath the tank itself, plan on replacing the unit rather than repairing it.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- A pilot that keeps going out is usually a sign the thermocouple has worn out. That part sits in the flame and tells the gas valve the pilot is lit. Once it wears out, it cannot hold the reading, so the valve shuts the gas off as a safety measure. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft near the burner can cause the same thing, but the thermocouple is the most common cause and a straightforward part to replace.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless unit can be fixed rather than replaced. Common issues are a scaled up heat exchanger, a failed igniter, or a flow sensor that is not reading correctly, and all of those are parts a contractor can replace. Because Fond du Lac gets cold enough that these units run hard for months at a time, mineral buildup inside the heat exchanger is worth having checked if the flow of hot water has dropped off. A contractor can look at the error code the unit is showing and tell you what part is behind it.