Hot water tank repair
Plenty of hot water tank problems are worth repairing.
What we won't do is repair a tank that's rusting through and take your money knowing you'll be calling again.
What's wrong with it
No hot water at all. Electric: usually a failed heating element or tripped high-limit switch. Gas: pilot, thermocouple or gas valve.
Runs out too fast. Sediment build-up reducing usable capacity, a failed lower element in an electric tank (you get the top half only), or a dip tube that's broken. Sometimes it's simply that the household has outgrown the tank.
Water not hot enough. Thermostat setting or calibration. We'd recommend 49°C / 120°F at the tank — hot enough to be useful, low enough to reduce scald risk.
Rumbling, popping or banging. Sediment on the bottom of the tank, with water boiling underneath it. A flush sometimes helps; on an older tank it's a sign the tank is nearing the end.
Water discoloured or smells. Rusty water means internal corrosion — usually terminal. A rotten-egg smell is a reaction with the anode rod and is often fixable.
Leaking. Where matters enormously. From a fitting, valve or connection: repairable. From the tank body: the tank is finished, and it will get worse.
The anode rod nobody mentions
Every tank has a sacrificial anode rod that corrodes so the tank doesn't. It typically lasts 3–5 years, and once it's gone the tank itself starts corroding.
Replacing it is inexpensive and can add years of life. Almost nobody does it, because almost nobody is told it exists. We check it on every service call and tell you where yours is at.
Repair or replace — the honest line
Under 8 years and it's a component: repair. Over 10–12 years, or the tank body is leaking, or it's rusty water: replace. Between the two: we'll show you the tank and give you our actual opinion, including the cost of each so you can decide.
