Water Heater Repair in Portland, ME
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What Cumberland County winters do to a water heater
Homes here run their heat September through May, and cold groundwater in those months means your water heater works harder to reach temperature. That extra runtime wears on the burner and the heating element over the years.
Cumberland County has seen 115 winter storms and 145 damaging wind events over the last ten years, and in Maine last year 54% of households lost power for at least 24 hours. A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps running through an outage. One with electronic ignition will not, and it should relight on its own once power comes back. If yours hasn't, that's worth a call.
- 15°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 and is failing from the inside. Water heaters aren't built to be repaired at the tank, so once it's leaking there, the tank needs to be replaced, not patched. Sometimes what looks like a tank leak is actually the drain valve or a fitting above it, which a contractor can check before assuming the worst. If the water is coming from underneath the unit itself, plan on replacement.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The thermocouple is the usual reason. It's the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve the flame is lit. When it wears out or sits out of position, the gas valve shuts the pilot off as a safety measure, even though you just lit it. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft in the area can cause the same problem. A contractor can test the thermocouple and replace it if it's reading wrong.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most tankless problems are repairable. Mineral buildup on the heat exchanger is common and gets cleared with a descaling flush. Igniters, flow sensors, and fan motors can all be replaced without swapping out the whole unit. A contractor can run the diagnostic codes the unit stores to find out which part is causing the trouble.