Water Heater Repair in Presque Isle, ME
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Ten months of hard use, then the power goes out
Your water heater works from September through June here, close to ten months a year. Groundwater coming into the tank is already cold, and on winter nights averaging 4°F, it's colder still. The heating element or burner runs longer and more often to make up that difference, and that extra run time wears on the thermostat and the element or burner itself. You notice it as water that used to be hot turning lukewarm partway through a shower.
Aroostook County has logged 179 winter storms and 161 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and more than half of Maine households lost power for at least a day in 2024. A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps working through an outage. One with electronic ignition or an electric tank does not, and won't come back on until power is restored and, on some models, the pilot or ignition is reset by hand.
- 4°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 10 months
- September through June, 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 of the time this means the tank itself has rusted through and is failing. Sediment builds up on the bottom of the tank over years, and it holds moisture against the steel until it corrodes and cracks. A leak from the bottom of the tank cannot be patched or sealed. It usually means the water heater needs to be replaced, so it is worth shutting off the water supply to the tank and having a contractor look at it before it leaks further. Sometimes what looks like a tank leak is actually the drain valve or a loose fitting nearby, and that part a contractor can replace.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The most common cause is a worn thermocouple, the small sensor that sits next to the pilot flame and tells the gas valve the flame is lit. When it wears out or gets coated in soot, it reads the flame as out even when it is burning, and the gas valve shuts off to be safe. A dirty pilot tube or a draft blowing across the flame can cause the same thing. A contractor can test the thermocouple and clean or replace the parts causing the flame to drop. This kind of water heater has no power to lose, so this is a repair issue rather than something tied to an outage.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater can be repaired without replacing the whole unit. Mineral buildup on the heat exchanger is the most common issue, and flushing the system clears it. Ignition failures, sensor faults, and blocked intake or exhaust vents are also things a contractor can fix directly. The heat exchanger itself is the most expensive part to replace, so a contractor will check that first before deciding whether repair or replacement makes more sense for the unit.