water heater troubleshooting
No hot water at all
What it probably is, what you can safely check yourself, and the point where it becomes our job.
It is still running, so you have a few days. It is not going to fix itself, and the part that failed rarely fails alone.
What is most likely going on
No hot water anywhere in the house is usually power or fuel to the water heater, a tripped high-temperature limit, or a failed heating element or burner. Which checks apply depends on whether your tank is electric, gas, or a heat pump water heater.
Likely causes, most common first
- 1
Tripped breaker or a tripped high-limit reset
Electric tanks and heat pump water heaters have a red reset button on the upper thermostat that trips on an over-temperature event, and the circuit breaker can trip independently. A reset that trips again is telling you a thermostat or element has failed, so pressing it repeatedly is not a fix. One reset is reasonable; a second is a diagnosis.
- 2
Failed heating element or thermostat on an electric tank
Electric tanks have upper and lower elements, and a failed upper element produces no hot water at all while a failed lower element produces a small amount that runs out fast. Element failure is accelerated by sediment, which matters on the well water common outside the city.
- 3
Pilot out or ignition failure on a gas tank
A gas water heater with an extinguished pilot, a failed thermocouple, or an ignition control fault will show a cold tank and often a status light blinking a code. On propane in the county, an empty tank is the first thing to rule out. Follow the lighting instructions printed on the appliance, and stop if you smell gas.
- 4
Heat pump water heater in the wrong mode or locked out
A heat pump water heater can be set to a vacation or heat-pump-only mode that recovers slowly, or it can be locked out on a fault with the compressor and running on nothing at all. If it is in a cold garage or an unheated basement, ambient temperature also affects how it operates. The display usually reports the mode and any fault code.
- 5
Mixing valve or plumbing crossover failure
A failed thermostatic mixing valve or a crossover between hot and cold lines can deliver lukewarm or cold water at fixtures while the tank itself is hot. That points at plumbing rather than the appliance, and plumbing scope belongs to a licensed plumbing contractor.
What you can safely check yourself
Work down the list before you book anything. Plenty of calls end here, and we would rather you keep the money.
- Check the breaker for the water heater and reset a tripped breaker exactly once.
- On an electric or heat pump tank, press the red reset button on the upper thermostat once and note whether it trips again.
- On a gas tank, look for a lit pilot or a status light, and follow the lighting instructions printed on the appliance.
- On propane, check the tank gauge, and on natural gas, check whether other gas appliances still work.
- Check the thermostat setting on the tank and, on a heat pump water heater, confirm it is not in vacation mode.
What is deliberately not on that list
Nothing above involves refrigerant, gas piping, or opening a live electrical panel. Refrigerant work is federally regulated and needs recovery equipment. Gas work done wrong kills people. An energised panel turns a $300 repair into a hospital visit. Electrical work on the circuit itself is done by a licensed electrical contractor. If a step you have read elsewhere involves any of those three, stop and call instead.
When to call us
Call us if the reset trips again, if the breaker will not hold, or if a gas unit will not stay lit. If you smell gas, leave the building and call your gas utility from outside before calling anyone else. Reach us at (360) 592-3824, with emergency calls answered 24/7.
Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM · Emergency calls answered 24/7
Tell us what it is doing
Describe the symptom and we will tell you what it takes to fix, what it is likely to cost, and whether it is worth fixing at all.
Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM · Emergency calls answered 24/7