Water Heater Repair in Greenfield, MA
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Cold winters put a heavier load on your water heater
Groundwater coming into your house is colder for eight months of the year, October through May. Your water heater has to work harder to bring it up to temperature, and it does that work on nights that average 17°F. That extra cycling wears on the heating element in an electric unit or the burner assembly in a gas one, and on the thermostat that tells them when to fire.
Franklin County has seen 59 winter storms and 275 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and statewide, one in ten households lost power for at least a day in 2024. When the power drops, an electric water heater stops heating until it comes back, and most units start up again on their own. A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps running through the outage since the pilot does not need power at all. Either way, a storm that knocks out power for a day is often what makes a homeowner notice the water heater was already struggling.
- 17°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 8 months
- October through May, the months homes here need heat
- 10%
- of Massachusetts 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
- Why is my water heater leaking from the bottom?
- Most of the time this means the tank itself has rusted through and is failing from the inside. Water heaters corrode over years as the glass lining inside the tank wears down, and once the steel underneath is exposed, it rusts and eventually leaks. A loose drain valve or a fitting can also leak and pool water at the bottom, so it is worth checking those first. If the tank itself is the source, it needs to be replaced, not repaired, since there is no way to patch a rusted tank.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The most common cause is a worn thermocouple, the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve it is safe to keep sending gas. When it wears out, it fails to signal properly and the valve shuts the gas off, so the pilot goes out. A dirty or partly blocked pilot orifice can cause the same thing. Either part can be replaced, and a standing pilot like this does not depend on your home's electricity to run.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, in most cases. The heat exchanger, the igniter and the flow sensor are the parts that fail most often, and a contractor can replace any of them without replacing the unit. Mineral buildup inside the heat exchanger is another common issue, especially over years of use, and that can often be flushed out rather than replaced. A contractor can look at the specific fault code the unit is showing and tell you which it is.