Water Heater Repair in Jeffersonville, IN
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What Clark County winters do to your water heater
Your water heater works harder from October through April, when the incoming water runs cold and it has to make up more ground to reach a hot tap. On nights that average 26°F, a unit in a garage or an unheated space cycles more just to hold temperature, and that extra run time wears on the heating element or burner assembly.
Power is part of it too. Indiana households lost power for a full day or more at times in 2024, and Clark County has logged 9 winter storms and 79 damaging wind events over the past ten years. A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps working through an outage, but one with electronic ignition will not restart on its own. If your water heater is not producing hot water after the power comes back, that is often why.
- 26°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 7 months
- October through April, the months homes here need heat
- 17%
- of Indiana 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 $50 a year off hot water for a typical Indiana home.
Estimates for a typical Indiana home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and Indiana 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 once that happens the tank can't be patched, it has to be replaced. But check the easy things first. A leak can also come from the drain valve at the bottom not sealing tight, or from the temperature and pressure relief valve venting water down the side of the tank. Loose fittings on the cold water inlet or hot water outlet can drip down and pool at the base too, and those are simple enough to tighten or reseal. A contractor can tell you in a few minutes which one you're dealing with.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The thermocouple is the usual cause. It's the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve the pilot is lit. Once it wears out or sits out of position, the valve reads no flame and shuts the gas off, even with the pilot burning right in front of you. A dirty or partly blocked pilot orifice can cause the same thing. Either one is a straightforward fix for a contractor, but don't try to bypass the safety shutoff yourself.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless unit are repairable. Mineral buildup on the heat exchanger is the most common issue, and it's cleared with a descaling flush rather than a replacement. Igniter failures, sensor faults, and flow switch problems are also parts a contractor can replace without swapping out the whole unit. It's usually only the heat exchanger itself failing outright that points toward replacement instead of repair.