No hot water
Check these three things first — they take two minutes and they're free. 1. Electric tank: check your breaker panel. A tripped breaker is the single most common cause. Reset it once. If it trips again, stop and call us — that's a fault, not a nuisance trip. 2. Gas tank: look for the pilot light through the viewing window at the base. If it's out and your tank has a re-light procedure printed on it, follow it exactly once. If it won't stay lit, stop. 3. Anyone touched the thermostat? Worth a look before anything else.
Still nothing? Call 604-865-7979. We answer 24 hours a day.
Is it an emergency?
Honestly, usually not — cold showers are miserable, not dangerous, and we'd rather tell you that than charge you an after-hours rate for something that can wait until morning.
It is urgent if: the tank is leaking · you smell gas · there are elderly people, infants or medically vulnerable people in the home · it's freezing and the heating runs off the same boiler.
It can usually wait until morning if: the tank is dry, there's no gas smell, and everyone's fine — and morning service is cheaper.
Call either way. We'll tell you which situation you're in.
What's usually wrong
Electric tank: tripped breaker · failed heating element (most common single failure) · thermostat failure · tripped high-limit reset switch on the tank itself
Gas tank: pilot out · failed thermocouple · gas valve failure · gas supply interrupted
Either: the tank has failed entirely · a system-wide issue if you're on a boiler for both heat and hot water
Only lukewarm water, or it runs out fast? That's a different fault. Hot water tank repair
⚠️ If you smell gas
Don't touch any switch. Leave the building. Call FortisBC at 1-800-663-9911 from outside. Then call us.
What happens when you call
A person answers. They'll walk you through the checks above if you haven't done them, tell you the call-out fee before we dispatch, and give you a real arrival window. Most no-hot-water calls are diagnosed and fixed in one visit; we carry common elements, thermocouples and thermostats.
What it costs
No call-out fee. $169/hr at any hour. No after-hours premium. Repair priced in writing before we start. Pricing
