Water heater repair in Las Vegas, NV

Water heaters fail in a small number of recognisable ways, and the symptom usually points straight at the cause. The important early distinction is whether the tank itself is leaking, because that one is not repairable.

Plumbers in our network repair all makes and models, gas and electric, tank and tankless.

What the symptom usually means

• No hot water at all, gas: commonly the pilot, thermocouple, gas valve or igniter
• No hot water at all, electric: commonly a tripped high limit, a failed element or a thermostat
• Hot water that runs out fast: often a failed lower element, a broken dip tube, or sediment taking up tank volume
• Rumbling or popping from the tank: sediment and scale on the bottom, boiling water trapped underneath
• Rusty hot water: often a spent anode rod, sometimes a tank corroding internally
• Water around the base: needs a proper look, because the fix depends entirely on where it is coming from
• Rotten egg smell in hot water only: usually a bacteria and anode rod interaction

A leaking tank is not a repair

If water is coming from the tank body rather than a fitting, valve or connection above it, the tank has corroded through and it is being replaced. No sealant, patch or weld is an appropriate answer on a pressurised vessel.

A leak from the temperature and pressure relief valve, the drain valve, or a supply connection is a different story and is usually a straightforward repair.

Why valley heaters die early

Hard water is the main reason water heaters here do not reach their rated life. Scale precipitates out of heated water and settles on the bottom of a gas tank or bakes onto electric elements, which insulates them, wastes energy, and eventually destroys them.

• A conventional tank water heater is generally rated for 8 to 12 years. Hard water, heavy demand and skipped flushing all shorten it. (InterNACHI life expectancy chart)
• Water heater testing run for the Water Quality Research Foundation found storage heaters on hard water lost efficiency as scale built on the elements, while the same heaters on softened water held close to their rated efficiency across the test. (Water Quality Association, research summaries)
• Las Vegas tap water is published at 280 parts per million as calcium carbonate, which works out to about 16 grains per gallon. (Las Vegas Valley Water District, Water Quality Summary)

Gas work is not a DIY item

We deliberately do not publish procedures for gas valves, burners, thermocouples or combustion venting. Getting it wrong produces a gas leak or carbon monoxide, and the failure mode is not one you notice in time.

If you smell gas, leave and call the gas utility or 911 before calling a plumber.

All makes and models

Plumbers in our network work on all makes and models for this service. We do not claim an authorised dealer relationship with any manufacturer, and we will tell you if a part for a discontinued unit cannot be sourced.