4 Common Reasons Why You Have No Hot Water
At Frymire Home Services, we have you covered! Below, we have listed 4 common reasons as to why you may be experiencing no hot water, because the last thing you want is to take a cold shower.
Before we dive into the 4 common reasons, I want to go over the differences between water heater tanks and tankless water heaters. Within the water heater tank family, you have your gas tanks and electric tanks. Your gas tanks use gas to heat your water, while your electric tanks use electricity. Another thing is that these tanks hold the water that you use throughout your home for future usage. Your water heater tanks typically have an 8- to 10-year life span.
Tankless water heaters do not store water for future use, but instead heat the water needed on demand. Tankless water heaters are also more efficient than your water heater tanks and have a typical life span of 15-20 years.
Why Don’t I Have Hot Water?
- The first common reason could be because of your pilot light. Your pilot light is located at the bottom of your gas water heater tank. The pilot light is what ignites the burner and starts the water heating process. Your pilot light can go out because there is a buildup of debris or because your thermocouple goes out. Your thermocouple is right next to your pilot light and goes out because there is no metal-to-metal contact. This can be resolved by having a technician sand your thermocouple to achieve that needed metal-to-metal contact.
- A second common reason could be because of your gas control valve. Your gas control valve is located on the outside of your gas water heater tank and is responsible for controlling the water heat levels. When your gas control valve goes out, it could be because there is a clog within the valve, or the thermocouple is out. To fix this issue, you will need to have a technician unclog the blockage, replace your gas control valve, or worst case, replace your water heater.
- The third common reason could be because of a burnt heating element. Your heating element is what heats the water in your tank. Depending on the type of electric water heater tank, this can be located on the top or bottom. Your heating element becomes burnt when no yearly maintenance flushes are performed. This is one of the reasons why yearly maintenance flushes are so important. If this problem is recognized too late, a technician will not only have to perform a flush, but will also have to investigate if your thermostat is still working properly. If the thermostat is no longer working properly, this will need to be replaced.
- A fourth common reason could be because of your flood stop. This is more common with newer systems and can happen in both tank and tankless water heaters. Your flood stop is in your water heater pan and is what detects if any water is going into the pan, acting as a safety mechanism. Your flood stop is what prevents floods from happening within your home and is extremely important. When this is tripped, your hot water will stop working. To troubleshoot this yourself, disconnect your sensor and push “open” on your control panel. However, this will only work if there is NO water in your water heater pan. If you detect any water in your pan, immediately stop what you are doing and call your plumber. They will be able to identify where the leak is coming from and properly fix it.
Frymire Home Services understands the importance of educating and informing our customers. We want to make sure that we not only help correct the issue, but help you understand how and why the issue happened. To learn more about your plumbing system visit our website at frymire.com or call us at 972-913-2881 to schedule an appointment with one of our licensed plumbers.
