Water Heater Repair in Dundalk, MD
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Cold water and winter outages both work against your water heater
From October through April your water heater is working harder. Incoming water runs colder, so the burner or the heating element has to stay on longer to bring it up to temperature. That extra runtime wears on the same parts every time. A thermocouple or igniter on a gas unit, heating elements on an electric one.
Baltimore County storms bring power outages, and Maryland households went at least 24 hours without power at an 11% rate in 2024. Most electric water heaters come back on by themselves once power returns. A gas unit with a standing pilot never lost its flame at all. What you usually notice after an outage isn't a unit that failed to restart. It's water that never got hot while the power was out.
- 26°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 7 months
- October through April, the months homes here need heat
- 11%
- of Maryland 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 $80 a year off hot water for a typical Maryland home.
Estimates for a typical Maryland home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and Maryland 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 of the time this means the tank itself has failed. Water heater tanks corrode from the inside over years, and once rust eats through the steel, water finds its way out at the lowest point. Sediment that builds up on the bottom of the tank speeds this up, since it traps moisture against the metal. A leaking tank cannot be patched or sealed. If the leak is coming from a fitting, valve, or the connections at the top instead, that part can often be repaired without needing a new tank, so it is worth having a contractor check exactly where the water is coming from before assuming the worst.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The most common cause is a worn thermocouple, the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve it is safe to keep the gas flowing. When it wears out, it can no longer sense the flame properly, so the gas valve shuts off the pilot as a safety measure. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft blowing on the flame can cause the same problem. A weak or bent thermocouple usually needs to be replaced rather than adjusted, and that is a job for a licensed contractor since it involves the gas line.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most tankless water heater problems are repairable without replacing the whole unit. Common issues include a clogged inlet filter, mineral buildup on the heat exchanger, a failed igniter, or an error code pointing to a specific sensor. Because tankless units run on electronic controls, a contractor can usually pull the error code from the display to identify the exact part causing trouble before opening anything up.