What to Do if Your Water Heater Fails?

If you’re a fan of hot showers but your water heater fails, you can forget about any hot water access. No hot water means you won’t be able to use it for washing clothes and dishes. Failing water heaters isn’t a new problem, and it’s something any technician can address.

As one of the leading water heater experts in the area, our technicians at Monkey Wrench have years of experience servicing all kinds of water heaters. Whether replacing a part or installing a new water heater, our technicians know the ins and outs of water heating systems, from tankless to conventional water heaters. 

If you find yourself dealing with water heater failure, you can do a couple of things. We’ll cover each one in detail so that by the end of this article, you’ll have peace of mind knowing this issue can be fixed.

Let’s dive right in!

Signs of Failing Water Heater

Whether tankless, conventional, or heat pump, every home in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas has some type of water heater. You’ll immediately notice something is off with your water heater if there’s no hot water. 

In no particular order, here’s what you can do if your water heater fails. 

Inspect for Leaks

Look for any water or natural gas leaks near your water heater if it fails. It’s possible that your water heater failed to provide hot water because it’s all leaking out from somewhere. For natural gas leaks, pay attention to any gas-like odors.  

Water leaks can also be more common in older water heaters since they may be more prone to corrosion. Generally, if your water heater is over 10 years old, it has a higher chance of experiencing failures. 

If you find a water or gas leak, you may need to shut off your water or natural gas line access if there’s a significant burst of water or gas leak from your water heater. It’s best to call a technician right away to avoid major water damage or gas leak fires in your home. 

If you don’t find any leaks, you can still continue to inspect the situation. 

Visual Inspection

You can still investigate why your water heater failed by completing a visual inspection. Even if you don’t see signs of a water or gas leak, you can check the following things.

• Test other hot water fixtures: If you have a failing water heater, there shouldn’t be any hot water access to any water fixtures. Turn on your home’s other hot water faucets to see if they pour out hot water. 
• Check water pressure: If your water heater fails, you may see changes in your water’s pressure and flow rate. Water heaters have pressure relief valves that regulate water pressure. Your water heater may experience failure if there are issues with the relief valve. 
• Inspect pilot light (conventional water heaters only): Your water heater will fail to produce hot water if the pilot light is off or malfunctioning. Every water heater manufacturer has instructions in their manuals about how to relight a pilot light, which you can complete on your own or with a technician. 
• Look for error codes (tankless water heater): Most tankless water heaters have a small square panel on the front cover that allows you to view their current status. If your tankless water heater fails, then you may see an error code appear.
• No power: Sometimes your water heater may fail due to lack of power caused by electrical problems. In some cases, the water heater’s cord can have accidentally disconnected. If it’s unplugged, you can plug it in to see if your water heater is working. 

As you perform your inspection, ensure you’re writing it down to share that information with a technician. Providing this information can help your technician identify where to investigate why your water heater failed. 

Most water heaters are powered by natural gas and will fail without gas access. 

Check Earthquake Shut-Off Valve

Sometimes, a triggered earthquake shut-off valve can cut off natural gas access to your water heater and make it seem like it failed. These valves are designed to activate during an earthquake but sometimes are accidentally triggered in the following ways.

• Vibrations caused by heavy construction
• Accidental bumps by gardening tools, people, or pets

Once the earthquake shut-off valve has been triggered, you must call a technician to reset it. Once the technician resets it, they will test it to see if there’s hot water available again. 

Whenever you have a failing water heater, contacting a technician is always a good idea. 

Call a Water Heater Technician 

If you notice that your water heater is failing, the best thing to do is to call a professional to come and see what’s going on. Once they inspect and diagnose your water heater, they can present you with different possible solutions.

Water heaters usually have a sticker label on the side of their panels with the information of the company that installed it. You can call them or a different technician to come and inspect your issue.

During a technician visit, they may ask the following questions.

• Has the water heater failed before?
• How old is your water heater?
• How often is your water heater serviced?
• Has it had any repairs in the past?
• Does it make any noises while it’s running?

These questions can help your technician determine what repairs benefit your water heater the best. 

Schedule an Appointment for a Failing Water Heater

A failing water heater is a massive inconvenience for any home since you and your family are left without hot water. If your water heater fails, you can do a couple of things while you prepare to call or wait for a technician to arrive. Knowing what to do can give you a boost of confidence, knowing that your water heater issue can be addressed efficiently.

At Monkey Wrench, our technicians receive specialized training from the top brands in the water heater industry to best understand why water heaters malfunction. Our technicians have correctly diagnosed and repaired hundreds of water heaters throughout Los Angeles and the surrounding areas. 

If you’re dealing with water heater issues, contact us via the button below or our online water heater repair scheduler.

As you prepare to have your water heater inspected, take a minute to learn about how much water heater repair costs.