Water Heater Repair in Spartanburg, SC
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Power outages here hit water heaters hard
Spartanburg County sees its share of damaging wind, 125 events over the last ten years. When the power goes out, most electric water heaters come back on by themselves once it returns. Gas water heaters with a standing pilot never lost power at all, but ones with electronic ignition need that power to relight.
Almost half of South Carolina households went at least a full day without power in 2024. A day without power means a day without hot water, and when it comes back, some units don't recover cleanly. If your water heater is cold after an outage and staying cold, something didn't reset the way it should have.
- 33°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 tank itself has likely rusted through from the inside and is starting to fail. Water heater tanks are lined, but once that lining breaks down, the steel underneath corrodes and eventually leaks. It can also be a loose drain valve or a fitting that has worked itself loose, which a contractor can check before assuming the tank is done. A leaking tank will not stop or seal itself, so it needs to be looked at before it gets worse.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The most common cause is a worn thermocouple, the small sensor that tells the gas valve the pilot is burning. When it wears out, it shuts off gas to the pilot even though the flame is fine. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft blowing the flame out can cause the same thing. A standing pilot does not run on electricity, so a power outage is not the cause here.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater can be repaired rather than requiring a full replacement. Common repairs include cleaning mineral buildup from the heat exchanger, replacing a flow sensor, or clearing a blocked vent. A contractor can flush and inspect the unit to find out what is causing the issue and whether the part can be replaced.