Water Heater Repair in Wilkes-Barre, PA
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What winter and storms do to your water heater here
Wilkes-Barre needs heat from October through May, eight months a year, and winter nights average 19°F. The water entering your tank is cold for most of that stretch, and the tank has to run longer to bring it up to temperature. That extra runtime wears on the heating element or burner and on the thermostat that controls it.
Luzerne County has also seen 13 winter storms and 151 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and storms like these knock out power. Most water heaters come back on by themselves once power is restored, but if yours does not, or if you notice the water running lukewarm instead of hot, that is worth having checked.
- 19°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 8 months
- October through May, the months homes here need heat
- 15%
- of Pennsylvania 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 $70 a year off hot water for a typical Pennsylvania home.
Estimates for a typical Pennsylvania home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and Pennsylvania 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 has likely rusted through from the inside and is starting to fail. Sediment builds up at the bottom of the tank over years, and once it wears through the steel, water finds its way out and there's no patching it. It could also be a loose drain valve or a fitting that just needs tightening, so it's worth checking those before assuming the worst. If the leak is coming from the tank itself, the water heater needs to be replaced, not repaired.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- Most of the time this means the thermocouple has worn out and needs to be replaced. That's the small part that senses the pilot flame and tells the gas valve it's safe to keep the gas flowing. If it's worn or coated in soot, it can't sense the flame properly, so the gas valve shuts off even though the pilot is lit. A weak gas supply or a draft blowing out the flame can cause the same problem, so a contractor will check both before replacing anything.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater can be repaired without replacing the whole unit. Common issues are a clogged inlet filter, a buildup of scale on the heat exchanger, or a failed igniter, and each of those can be fixed on its own. Error codes on the unit's display usually point straight to the problem, which makes diagnosis quicker than with a tank model. A unit only needs full replacement if the heat exchanger itself has cracked or corroded through.