Water Heater Repair in Greenville, SC
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What Greenville's power outages mean for your water heater
Storms come through Greenville County often enough that most homes will lose power at some point. South Carolina saw 45% of households go at least 24 hours without it in 2024, and the county has logged 122 damaging wind events over the past ten years. A gas water heater with a standing pilot will keep working right through an outage. One with an electronic ignition won't fire until the power is back, and some units need to be relit by hand once it is.
Winters here are mild, but nights from December through February average 34°F, cold enough that incoming water runs colder and the tank works harder to bring it up to temperature. If the burner or the heating element is already weak, that extra load is often when it finally falls behind, and you notice water that never quite gets hot.
- 34°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 7 months
- October through April, the months homes here need heat
- 45%
- of South Carolina 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 $300 a year off hot water for a typical South Carolina home.
Estimates for a typical South Carolina home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and South Carolina 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 most common reason is that the tank itself has corroded through and is failing. Water heater tanks have a glass lining, and once that lining cracks, the steel underneath rusts and eventually leaks. It can also be a loose drain valve or a fitting at the bottom, which a contractor can check before assuming the tank is done. If the tank itself is leaking, it needs to be replaced, since a cracked tank cannot be patched or sealed.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- Most often this means the thermocouple or flame sensor has worn out and can no longer tell the gas valve the pilot is lit, so the valve shuts off the gas. It can also happen if the pilot orifice is dirty or if there is a draft blowing out the flame. A bad thermocouple is a simple part to replace and usually solves it. If the pilot relights but won't stay on even after that, the gas valve itself may need to be replaced.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless unit are repairable. Common issues include a clogged inlet filter, a buildup of scale on the heat exchanger, a bad flow sensor, or an igniter that has failed. A contractor can flush the unit to clear scale and replace individual parts like sensors or igniters without needing to replace the whole unit.