Water Heater Repair in Great Falls, MT
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Cold winters and power outages both wear on your water heater in Great Falls
Your home needs heat from September through June here, ten months of the year, and winter nights average 16°F from December through February. Cold like that means the water entering your tank starts out colder, so the burner or heating element runs longer and more often to bring it up to temperature. That extra run time is what burns through an igniter or wears out a heating element before its time.
Montana also loses power. Cascade County has seen 32 winter storms and 134 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and statewide, 18% of households went at least 24 hours without power in 2024. A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps making hot water through an outage like that. One with electronic ignition will not relight on its own, and you find out when the water runs cold with no warning.
- 16°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 10 months
- September through June, the months homes here need heat
- 18%
- of Montana 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
A new water heater would cut about $60 a year off hot water for a typical Montana home.
Estimates for a typical Montana home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and Montana fuel prices. Your home will differ.
Repair makes sense when an element, thermostat or gas valve has failed.
Replacement makes sense when the tank itself is leaking.
- Why is my water heater leaking from the bottom?
- The most common reason is that the tank itself has corroded through and is failing. Sediment builds up at the bottom of the tank over years, and the steel underneath it rusts out from the inside where you can't see it. A leak from the bottom usually means the tank has to be replaced, not repaired. Water dripping from a fitting or a valve near the bottom can look the same at first, so it's worth checking whether the water is coming from a connection or from the tank wall itself before assuming the worst.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- Usually it's the thermocouple, the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve the flame is lit. When it wears out or gets coated with soot, it reads the flame as out even when it isn't, and the gas valve shuts off. A draft blowing out the pilot repeatedly can cause the same problem, so it's worth checking where the water heater sits and whether air is reaching it from a vent or a door. A dirty or failing gas valve can also cause this, but that's less common than a bad thermocouple.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater are repairable. Mineral buildup on the heat exchanger is common and is usually cleared by flushing the unit, especially in homes with hard water. Igniter failures, sensor faults, and clogged inlet filters are also things a contractor can fix without replacing the unit. Whether repair makes sense depends on the age of the unit and what's actually failed, which a contractor can tell you after looking at it.