Water Heater Repair in Lewiston, ME
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What Lewiston winters do to a water heater
Groundwater coming into your house is already cold before winter even starts, and from September through May your water heater has to work harder to make up that difference. On the nights that drop to 13°F, it runs longer and cycles more to keep up. That extra work falls on the heating element or the burner assembly, and on the thermostat that tells it when to fire.
Maine households lose power for a day or more often enough that it matters, and a water heater that goes cold with the rest of the house doesn't always come back the way it should. Gas units with a standing pilot relight on their own, but many newer models with electronic ignition need a reset or a visit from someone who knows the unit. If your water isn't heating right after an outage, or it's taking longer to recover between showers, that's the cold intake water and the season catching up with the tank.
- 13°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 9 months
- September through May, the months homes here need heat
- 54%
- of Maine 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
- Why is my water heater leaking from the bottom?
- Most often the tank itself has rusted through from the inside, and once that happens the tank needs to be replaced, not repaired. Water pools at the bottom because that's the lowest point, even if the corrosion started higher up on the tank wall. It could also be a loose drain valve or a fitting at the bottom, which a contractor can check and tighten or replace before assuming the tank is done. Either way, don't ignore it. A cracked tank only gets worse, and with winter lows here averaging 13°F, a failed water heater is a bad time to be without hot water.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The most common cause is a worn thermocouple, the small sensor that tells the gas valve the pilot is lit. When it wears out or sits out of position, it shuts the gas off even though the flame is burning fine. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft in the area can also blow the flame out or block it from reading properly. A contractor can test the thermocouple in a few minutes and replace it if that's the issue. This only applies to a standing pilot system. If your water heater uses electronic ignition instead, the problem is a different part and needs a different fix.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most tankless water heater problems are repairable. Common issues include a clogged inlet filter, mineral scale buildup on the heat exchanger, a failed igniter, or an error code pointing to a specific sensor. A contractor can flush the unit, clean the filter, or replace the failed part depending on what's wrong. Whether it makes more sense to repair or replace depends on the age of the unit and what's failed, and that's something a contractor will need to look at in person.