Water Heater Repair in Milwaukee, WI
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Milwaukee winters are hard on a water heater
Groundwater coming into your house is cold from October through May, and your water heater has to work harder to make up the difference. Gas and electric units both run longer to hit the same setpoint, and that extra runtime wears on the burner assembly or the heating element sooner than it would somewhere warmer.
Milwaukee County has seen 21 winter storms and 71 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and statewide, about 18% of households lost power for at least 24 hours in 2024. If your water heater is electric, an outage like that means no hot water until power comes back. If it runs on gas with an electric ignition, the same is true. Only a standing pilot keeps working through an outage.
- 18°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 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 from the inside and is starting to fail. Sediment builds up at the bottom of the tank over years, and once it eats through the steel, water finds its way out. A leak could also come from a loose drain valve or a fitting on the bottom of the tank, which a contractor can tighten or replace. If the tank itself is leaking, it needs to be replaced, since there is no way to patch a rusted tank.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The most common cause is a worn thermocouple, the small sensor that tells the gas valve the pilot is burning. When it wears out, it shuts off the gas even though the pilot is lit, and the flame goes out. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft in the area can also blow the flame out or keep it from sensing correctly. A contractor can test the thermocouple and replace it, which usually solves the problem.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater can be repaired without replacing the whole unit. Common issues are a scaled-up heat exchanger, a faulty igniter, or an error code pointing to a sensor or flow issue. A contractor can flush the unit, clean or replace the part causing the code, and get it running again. Replacement is usually only needed when the heat exchanger itself has failed.