Your Water Heater Repair or Maintenance questions, answered
Answers to commonly asked questions from the experts on HomeGuide.
How much does water heater repair cost?
Water heater repair costs$150 to $700 on average. Water heater service costs $100 to $350 to replace the heating element, thermocouple, igniter, anode rod, dip tube, or thermostat. Tankless water heater maintenance costs $75 to $300, and tankless repairs cost $300 to $1,300. Water heater flushing costs $75 to $250. Leaking tanks typically require replacing the water heater for $600 to $1,800.
What are the signs a hot water heater is going out?
Signs a water heater is going bad:
Rusty, discolored, or metallic-tasting water
Loud clanging, knocking, gurgling, or whining noises
Hot water that runs out quickly
Low water pressure
Foul odor coming from hot water
Low or irregular water temperature, or no hot water at all
Leaks at the base of the tank or around the pipes at the top of the tank
Should I repair or replace my water heater?
Tank water heaters last 8 to 15 years. Tankless water heaters last 10 to 20 years. Consider replacing a water heater over 10 years old or if the repair costs are more than 50% of the replacement cost.
Most tank water heater warranties cover parts for 6 to 12 years, depending on the brand. Tankless water heater warranties last 5 to 15 years.
Plumbing companies fix most water heater problems, including leaks, strange noises, rusty water, low water pressure, or no hot water. Hire a residential electrician instead if the unit trips the circuit breaker, overheats the water heater's fuse box, or has loose wiring that trips the unit's reset button.
How long do hot water heaters last?
Tank hot water heaters last 8 to 15 years on average. Tankless water heaters last 10 to 20 years on average.
Can I repair a water heater myself?
Homeowners with plumbing experience may perform common water heater repairs such as replacing the anode rod, dip tube, thermocouple, pressure relief valve, or flushing the tank. However, manufacturer warranties and local building codes may require a licensed plumber to make repairs.
How to find water heater services near me?
Finding a reputable plumber requires planning, researching, and asking questions. To hire the best:
Get at least three estimates from plumbers to compare.
Look for plumbers with experience repairing tank or tankless water heaters.
Select companies that are licensed, insured, and bonded.
Check out their reviews and previous work on HomeGuide and Google.
Ask about their guarantees and warranties.
Get an itemized estimate, contract, and warranty in writing before the work begins.
Avoid making payments upfront. Pay after repairs are completed.
What questions should I ask a water heater repair service?
When looking to hire a plumber near you, ask them the following questions:
Which part of my water heater is malfunctioning?
Should I repair the water heater or replace it instead, and why?
How much longer will the water heater last after repairs, and what can I do to make it last longer?
Which type of water heater do you have the most experience repairing?
How long will the repairs take?
What additional costs should I expect?
Does a warranty cover the new parts?
Do you provide a warranty on the repairs?
What does your water heater tune-up service include?
What payment methods do you accept?
What do I need to provide to get started?
Reviews for Chicago water heater repair services
Recent success stories from people in the Chicago area.
Michael B.
THE BEST OF THE BEST!! You only need Alberto and his crew for all your plumbing needs! I will never need to look for another plumber again! We were in a mess with a sewer backing up into the downstairs bathroom/laundry room which happened during the coldest zero and subzero weather! And we had water and debris backed up and were unable to fully use our facilities. What a mess!! Cleaning up was horrible! Well, I left a message on this Homeguide site in the wee hours of the morning, and in no time I received a call from Alberto with All Plumbing Services. He was at a job near my home and was able to come out within hours. We had an estimate by another plumber for $11,000 and I didn't know where to start, as we could not afford that. Alberto said for that much, he could replace my entire house's incoming and outgoing lines! He told us that he was seeing people being overcharged badly for this kind of work, and that he felt bad for people, knowing that so many are going through hard financial times. That sure helped the emotional component of having your life disrupted by something like this! We lived in our house for 39 years and never had this problem before. So Alberto came over and did a free video inspection of our sewer lines and told us where the problems were. He made a contract for us that was $4200 instead of the $11,000 from the other company!! This was a life saver! Alberto is the nicest guy, too. He is very experienced, friendly, understanding, emotionally supportive, and honest. In getting to know him, he talked about how he loved what he did in his line of work, including making his own custom made pipe lines, making his own threads. You can see his pictures on this site. And he spoke often of his mentor, who he values every day he goes to work. His mentor was a man of high integrity and great knowledge of plumbing. He always told Alberto, "Always be honest. As long as you are honest with people, you will always have customers." Well, how true. And Alberto was very honest with us. We are so glad to know him! So before the work was started, he went to our Village Hall and got all the legal paperwork done for doing the job and for setting up and inspection with the health dept. who has to inspect and approve the work being done. It was no problem as Alberto is licensed, bonded, and insured, with the state of Illinois. He does work all over Illinois and even in Indiana. He also is contracted to service all the Dunkin' Doughnuts in the area! Alberto says he does not usually charge as much money as most plumbers because he doesn't see the need to charge more than what things should actually cost. Now that's a rare person right there!! So the work was started and completed in record time, and just in time for the inspectors to come by. They told him "Nice work!!" And the Village was quite surprised at the total cost of the job. They said there was another home close by that got charged $45,000!!!! They, themselves, saw how reasonable Alberto's company was. I'm telling you, are we blessed. So as it turns out, the obstruction in the sewer line had more to do with the part of the line nearest the city part of the sewer. There was some clogging near the house and the need to replace some sewer line which cracked and leaked, but not as bad as we thought. The biggest obstruction was near the street, way down away from the house. There was huge tree roots that were growing there that finally interfered with our free flow. This house was built in 1971, and we've lived here since 1985. This was our first backup! Even in the 1990's when we had 24 inches of rain in 24 hours that flooded Naperville, we only had puddles in our yard and no drainage troubles! So there is this neat roto-rooter machine that Alberto used to break up those thick roots. It forces water out at such a high pressure that it could cut your hand off! So it got those roots cleared out very well. That's another thing we appreciated so much. Alberto always told you what was being done, and when, and kept you informed every step of the way. And if he foresaw a problem that would add to the cost, he told you ahead of time. We couldn't have asked for more. His team is hard working. It was near freezing and wet and muddy everywhere. But his crew did their job with so much effort and nothing stopped them! I am beyond impressed! Thank you, Alberto. And thank you, Alberto's crew!! I know you work HARD!
All Plumbing Services
Matt H.
Bill come over to my house and roded out my main line did a great job and price was reasonable thanks bill
Community plumbing & sewer...
David U.
Did a good job. Explained how things worked.
Gilbert sewer n plumbing
Gordon G.
a quality job, well done
FDL Home Remodeling Inc.
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