6 Steps for Troubleshooting Common Water Heater Problems

We’ve all been there — you’re in the middle of a nice, warm shower, and all the sudden the water turns cold. Or you take a look at your dishes after they come out of the dishwasher and they just don’t look quite right. However you find out (hopefully not the cold shower) — the underlying cause is the same…

…you’ve got an issue with your water heater.

The good news is, you might not need to call a plumber right away. While troubleshooting your water heater’s a little more complicated than, say, unclogging your toilet, there’s still a lot you can do to get it back up and running.

Diagnose Your Twin Cities Water Heater Problems with 6 Steps

Step 1: Check the power

It might sound really obvious, but you definitely need to check and see whether your water heater has power or not. To do this, you of course first have to know what kind of water heater you have, because the type of power it uses is going to vary depending on that. For most people, it’s either going to be an electric water heater or a gas water heater. One easy way to check: see if you have a pilot light or not. If you do, it’s a gas heater. If not, it’s probably electric. (The other main option here is a solar water heater, but chances are that if you have one of those you had it installed specially, and you already know what kind it is.)

If you’re troubleshooting an electric water heater, do this:

Start by checking the power supply. Did you maybe flip a breaker somewhere, and have the electricity out on part of your house? Or is there an issue with the electricity specifically to the water heater? Sometimes troubleshooting a cold water heater can be as easy as flipping a switch.

If the power’s looking good everywhere else, then you might need to check out the heating elements on the water heater. The way you do this is to grab a multimeter (you can find them at local hardware stores easily) and check the resistance across the element terminals. If there’s no continuity –– ie, you test it and the power drops out –– then chances are you need a new heating element. That’s a pain, but it’s definitely better than needing a whole new water heater!

If you’re troubleshooting a gas water heater, do this:

Start by taking a look at the pilot light. If it’s out then try to relight it. (You should have instructions on how to do that from your water heater manufacturer.) If you can’t relight it, or it won’t stay lit, then you’re looking at a bigger issue with the thermocouple, or maybe the gas valve. That’s when it’s time to call us.

Step 2: Check the water

Again, sticking with the obvious things to begin with. If the power’s looking good, then it’s time to check out the water supply. If your water heater can’t get enough water, or if there’s an issue with the water that it’s getting, then it can’t do its job efficiently. 

First make sure that there’s no overall issue with the water to the house, just like you did when you were checking the power. Then, look at the intake for the water heater specifically. Sometimes the pipes that supply your water heater can get blocked or frozen, which means the tank can’t fill itself. Also, while we’re on the subject of pipes: if you’re getting water, but you can’t seem to get your water heater to come up to temperature, then check the insulation on your pipes. If your pipes aren’t insulated, or if there’s an issue with the insulation, then the water coming into the water heater can be extra-cold, making your water heater have to work too hard to get it up to temperature. This can also be a reason for getting lukewarm water. If the water supply is too cold, your water heater might not be able to keep up.

One other thing to look at here –– if your pipes look fine, then check out the shutoff valve instead. It’s possible that that’s closed or partially closed, and causing water supply issues.

Step 3: Check the thermostat setting

OK so you’ve got water and power ... what else could be going wrong? The next thing to look at is your thermostat. Water heaters need to be set at temperatures anywhere between 120 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, so if you look at your thermostat and it’s set to something lower or higher than that, reset it. (Do double check your manufacturer’s recommended temperature settings ... but that’s usually the range you want your water heater to be in.)

If the thermostat looks like it’s set correctly, but your water is still too cold or too hot, then it could be that there’s an issue with the thermostat, and you need to replace it. When this happens, the water heater thinks it’s bringing the water to the right temperature because it’s misled by the faulty thermostat. Get that repaired or replaced, and you’ll be good to go.

Step 4: Check for leaks

A leaky water heater can quickly lead to an expensive nightmare, so look around the water heater and see if you can find any evidence of leaks. Think: things like dripping, damp spots, or pools of water anywhere around the heater. This could be a sign that there’s something wrong with the tank itself, the fittings, or your pipes. Whatever the cause, you need to get it taken care of as soon as possible, and don’t use the water heater until you do. A leaking water heater can end up going out entirely, leading you to have to replace it, or it can cause water damage to your home. If you do find a leak, turn the water heater off and shut off the water supply to it if you can until a professional gets there.

Step 5: Check the pressure relief valve.

Along the same lines, take a look at your pressure relief valve. Sometimes these can fail, causing leaks. Other times, you might not have a leak, but you can still have an issue with the valve that can cause problems with your water heater. The way you check your pressure relief valve is by lifting the lever on it slightly and seeing if a little water comes out. If water comes out before you lift the lever, or if there’s no water when you lift the lever, then chances are you’ve got an issue with that valve. The one good thing here is that it’s pretty easy to replace your pressure relief valve. You can always call in the pros to do it, but you can also do it yourself as long as you’re comfortable working with some basic tools, and you take the time to make sure you buy the right size of replacement valve.

Step 6: Flush the tank

You should be periodically flushing the tank on your water heater even if you’re not having problems, because this keeps sediment from building up in the tank. When that happens, it can reduce the efficiency of your water heater, leading to higher bills over time and also making it hard for your water heater to get up to temperature. 

You can find out how to do this for your specific model on the manufacturer’s website, but the gist of it is that you turn off the power and water to the heater, and then turn on a faucet and let all the hot water in the tank run out. Then drain the water out of the drain valve and the bottom of the bank. Once that’s done, put everything back the way you found it and you should find that your water heater works way better. And, if you have one of those self-cleaning models, even better –– just run the self-cleaning program and it should take care of things. We will say though, that you should manually flush your water heater every year, even if you do have the self-cleaning kind. Think of it as giving your water heater a deep-clean.

Remember, good maintenance keeps water heater problems from happening.

While it’s inevitable that you’ll have plumbing problems from time to time, you can avoid so many issues with your hot water heater with good preventative maintenance. We’ve written a detailed article about the things you should do here, but if you do nothing else, flush it yearly and keep it at the right temperature. That should hold off the worst of any issues that come along and help keep your water heater working well for years.

And of course, if you try all those steps we’ve talked about here and you’re still having issues, then it’s time to call in a professional. (Same goes for massive leaks or anything that looks like it has to do with wiring or major electrical issues.) Your local plumber can take care of most of the issues that arise with water heaters, and if they can’t fix it, they can at least tell you what you need to do next.

We’d love to help you out with any water heater problems that come your way, so if you’re looking for local plumbing in the Twin Cities area, give us a call! We’ve been plumbers in Bloomington, Minnetonka, and Edina for 40+ years, and we’re here to help.