Water Heater Repair in Gaithersburg, MD
Tell us what your water heater is doing, and a licensed contractor who covers Montgomery County will get in touch.
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What outages and storms mean for your water heater
Montgomery County has had 23 winter storms and 443 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and statewide, 11% of households lost power for a full day or more in 2024. A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps making hot water right through an outage. One with electronic ignition needs power to light the burner, and an electric unit needs power to run at all.
Most of these come back on their own once power is restored. If yours does not, that is the first thing to check before assuming something broke.
- 27°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?
- The tank has likely rusted through and is starting to fail. Water heaters corrode from the inside over the years, and once a leak starts at the bottom of the tank, it will not seal itself or stop on its own. It could also be a loose drain valve or a fitting at the bottom of the tank, which a contractor can check before assuming the tank itself is done. If it is the tank, replacement is the only fix, since a leaking tank cannot be repaired.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The most common cause is a worn thermocouple or flame sensor, the part that senses the pilot flame and keeps gas flowing to it. When it wears out, it shuts the gas off even though the pilot is lit, so the flame goes out again. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft in the area around the water heater can also blow the flame out. A contractor can test the thermocouple and replace it if that is the cause, which usually solves the problem.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater are repairable. Common issues are a failed igniter, a clogged inlet filter, mineral buildup on the heat exchanger from hard water, or an error code pointing to a sensor. A contractor can diagnose which part is causing the fault and replace it rather than the whole unit. Tankless units do need regular descaling to prevent buildup, so ask about that when the repair is done.