Water Heater Repair in Hudson, WI
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Nine months of hard water heater use in St. Croix County
Your water heater works from September through May here, heating incoming water that starts out close to freezing on a 9°F night. That is a long stretch of hard work, year after year, and it wears on the heating element and the tank itself.
Power is part of the picture too. Close to a fifth of Wisconsin households lost power for 24 hours or more last year, and this county has logged 30 winter storms and 28 damaging wind events over the past ten years. When the power drops, an electric water heater stops until it comes back. A gas unit with electronic ignition will not relight on its own either. You notice the same thing either way. You go to shower and the water is cold.
- 9°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 holding water it can't hold anymore. Water forms inside the tank as it ages, and once it wears through the lining, the leak shows up at the bottom because that's where the tank pools. It could also be a loose drain valve or a fitting that's failed, which a contractor can check before assuming the tank is done. A tank that's actually rusted through needs to be replaced, not repaired.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The thermocouple is usually the reason. It's the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve the flame is lit. Once it wears out, it can't confirm the flame anymore, so the valve shuts the gas off and the pilot goes out. A weak or dirty pilot flame, or a draft near the burner, can cause the same thing. A contractor can test the thermocouple and replace it if that's the cause.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most tankless water heater problems are repairs, not replacements. A failed igniter, a clogged inlet filter, a bad flow sensor, or scale buildup on the heat exchanger are all things a contractor can fix without swapping the unit. Tankless units also run diagnostic codes on a display or through a sequence of flashes, which tells the contractor what to check first. Replacement usually only comes up when the heat exchanger itself has failed.