Why Is My Water Heater Not Heating?

Studies suggest taking cold showers every so often might be great for both your body and mind. When you give your water heater a break and jump into a cold shower, it may help improve circulation, strengthen your immune system, and even provide your mental health with a boost.

But of course, no one wants to get stuck taking cold showers every single day, so it’s important to make sure your water heater is working properly at all times. Whether you have a gas water heater or an electric water heater, keep a close eye on your water heating system to ensure it’s providing you with plenty of hot water.

Has your water heater stopped working? Here are several reasons why it might be happening.

Problematic Pilot Light

If you have an electric water heater, it probably won’t have a traditional pilot light. As long as it has power, it should be able to heat your home’s water.

If, however, you have a gas water heater, it’ll be a different story. In this case, you’ll need to be sure that it’s getting a steady supply of natural gas or propane and that it has a fully functioning pilot light.

In some instances, the pilot light for your gas water heater might simply go out, making it impossible for the water heater to work like it’s supposed to. You may be able to relight it yourself so that it can begin heating the water in your home again.

You might also find that you’ll have a gas supply issue on your hands when your pilot light goes out. A closed gas valve, a gas line leak, or even a malfunctioning gas control valve could be to blame for your pilot light problems. Strongly consider having a reputable water heater repair company come out to your home to inspect your water heater and determine what’s wrong with it.

Faulty Thermostat

Your home’s water heater has a thermostat that you can use to adjust how warm you would like the water in your house to be. You don’t want to set this thermostat too high since it could lead to skyrocketing utility bills. At the same time, you don’t want to set it too low, as this can result in your home not having enough hot water in it.

If your home is running out of hot water much quicker than it should, turning up your water heater’s thermostat might be the perfect solution to this problem. But if you try this and don’t get the desired results, it could indicate that you have a faulty thermostat that won’t be able to heat your home’s water accordingly.

This is another instance in which you’ll want to call on a water heater repair company to assist you. You may need to replace your existing thermostat with a new one to get your water heater up and running again.

Built-Up Sediment

From the second you start using a new water heater in your home, sediment can begin to build up inside of it. Your home’s water supply contains minerals and debris that can settle at the bottom of your water heater in the form of sediment. It can eventually coat and insulate its heating element.

When your water heater’s heating element is covered with a layer of sediment, it won’t be able to heat your home’s water effectively. Your water heater might still sound like it’s working hard to heat the water, but the water may be cool to the touch when it leaves your home’s faucets and showerheads.

The good news is that you can stop sediment from wreaking havoc on your water heater. Flushing your water heater periodically eliminates rocks and sediment from the tank. This allows you to get better heating performance from it and lets you keep your water heater around for a longer time overall.

Not sure how to flush your water heater? A water heater repair company can show you how to do it while also inspecting your water heater and performing other basic maintenance on it.

Damaged Heating Element

The heating elements in water heaters are their most important parts. If anything goes wrong with them, water heaters can’t do their jobs efficiently. Make it a point to monitor the heating elements in your water heater and address any damage done to them promptly.

The heating elements in water heaters can sustain damage due to corrosion, electrical issues, and even just general wear and tear. If you suspect the heating element in your home’s water heater is malfunctioning, replacing it right away is of the utmost importance.

If you happen to have a multimeter handy, you can utilize it to test a water heater’s heating element. Otherwise, you’ll want to bring in a water heater repair company to inspect a heating element that may be damaged. These professionals can set you up with a new heating element for your water heater if they discover that it has been damaged.

In certain situations, this company might even recommend that you replace your water heater entirely rather than just replacing a bad heating element. The average water heater lasts for around a decade, so if yours is any older than that, installing a new one might be your best option.

Contact Us To Get Help With Your Hot Water Heater Issues

When the water heater in your home isn’t firing on all cylinders, it can be frustrating. You may wonder why it isn’t producing enough hot water for everyone in your house to use, and probably feel annoyed having to suffer through lukewarm showers.

Leave your water heater problems in the hands of our experienced professionals. Covenant Plumbing can help you figure out why your home’s instant water heater isn’t working like normal and make things right for you.

We specialize in delivering a wide range of tank and tankless water heater services in the Normal, IL, area. Call us at 309-340-1403 to schedule service for your water heater.