Water Heater Repair in Manchester, NH
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Manchester winters push water heaters hard
Groundwater coming into your house is cold most of the year here, and from December through February it has to fight nights averaging 16°F just to reach the tank. That means the burner or the heating element runs longer and more often to hold your water at temperature, and it does that for eight months straight, October through May.
That longer runtime wears on the parts that do the heating. A gas water heater's burner cycles more often, which puts more strain on the igniter and thermocouple. An electric water heater's heating element works harder against colder incoming water. You notice it as water that takes longer to heat back up, or a tank that runs out of hot water faster than it used to.
- 16°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 8 months
- October through May, the months homes here need heat
- 22%
- of New Hampshire 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 $100 a year off hot water for a typical New Hampshire home.
Estimates for a typical New Hampshire home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and New Hampshire 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 is cracked from the inside. Water heaters have a steel tank with a glass lining, and once that lining fails, the metal underneath starts to corrode. A leak from the bottom usually means the tank is done, not something a repair can fix. Sometimes what looks like a tank leak is actually the drain valve or a fitting on the bottom, and those can be replaced. A contractor can tell you which one you have by drying the tank off and watching where the water shows up first.
- 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 or sits out of position, the valve shuts the gas off even though the pilot is lit, so it goes out again soon after you release the button. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft in the closet can also blow the flame out. This is a repair a contractor can usually do without replacing the whole unit.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater are repairable. The igniter, the flow sensor, and the heat exchanger can all fail on their own without the rest of the unit being affected. Tankless units also build up mineral scale inside over time, especially without regular flushing, and that scale can be cleaned out rather than replaced. A contractor can run the unit's diagnostics to find out which part is causing the problem.