Water Heater Repair in Follansbee, WV
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Cold ground water and power cuts wear on a Follansbee water heater
Your water heater works harder here than the number on its label suggests. Incoming water runs cold for eight months, October through May, and on winter nights that average 24°F the tank has to make up more ground before it ever gets to your shower. The heating element or burner runs longer and more often than it would somewhere warmer, and that extra work is what wears out a thermostat or an element years before it should.
West Virginia also sees its share of power gone for a day or more, more than a third of households in 2024. A power cut does not damage an electric water heater, but it stops heating until the power is back, and if you come home to lukewarm water that is usually why. Gas water heaters with a standing pilot keep working through the outage since they do not need power to run.
- 24°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 8 months
- October through May, the months homes here need heat
- 35%
- of West Virginia 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 $70 a year off hot water for a typical West Virginia home.
Estimates for a typical West Virginia home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and West Virginia 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 cracked from the inside. Sediment settles on the bottom of the tank over the years and eats away at the steel underneath it, and once it breaks through, the leak won't stop or seal itself. It can also be a loose drain valve or a fitting that's failed, which is worth checking first since those can be replaced without replacing the tank. If the water is coming from underneath the tank itself, the tank is done and needs to be replaced.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The most common cause is a worn thermocouple, the part that tells the gas valve the pilot is actually burning. When it wears out or gets coated in soot, it reads a false signal and shuts the gas off even though the flame is lit. A draft blowing across the pilot or a dirty pilot orifice can cause the same thing. A contractor can test the thermocouple in a few minutes and replace it if that's the problem.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless unit are repairable without replacing the whole thing. Mineral scale on the heat exchanger is common and is cleared with a descaling flush. Igniters, flow sensors, and venting problems can also be replaced or corrected on their own. A full replacement is usually only needed when the heat exchanger itself has failed or the unit is old.