Water Heater Repair in Norwich, CT
Tell us what your water heater is doing, and a licensed contractor who covers Norwich will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eight months of cold water wears on your water heater here
From October through May your water heater is working against cold incoming groundwater, and on winter nights that average 24°F. The burner or the heating element has to run longer to bring the water up to temperature, and that extra run time wears on the thermocouple, the heating element, and the tank itself. You notice it as water that takes longer to turn hot, or a tank that runs out faster than it used to.
Power outages are a real risk here too. In Connecticut, 20% of households went at least 24 hours without power in 2024. A water heater that relies on electricity to fire or control it stops heating for as long as the outage lasts.
- 24°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 8 months
- October through May, the months homes here need heat
- 20%
- of Connecticut households lost power for a day or more in 2024, and a heater with an electric element or electric ignition stops without it
NOAA 1991–2020 monthly normals
- Why is my water heater leaking from the bottom?
- Most often the tank itself has rusted through from the inside and is starting to fail. Water heaters have a glass lining that protects the steel tank, and once that lining cracks, the tank corrodes and eventually leaks at a seam or at the bottom. It can also be a loose drain valve or a fitting weeping from the water supply lines, which a plumber can tighten or replace. If the tank itself is the source, the water heater needs to be replaced rather than repaired, since a leaking tank cannot be sealed.
- 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 in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve it is safe to keep sending gas. When it wears out, it can no longer sense the flame properly and shuts the gas off even though the pilot is lit. A weak or dirty pilot orifice, a draft in the area, or a bad gas valve can cause the same symptom. A plumber can test the thermocouple and replace it, which usually solves the problem.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most tankless water heater problems are repairable. Common issues are a scaled-up heat exchanger, a failed igniter, a clogged inlet filter, or an error code from a flow sensor, and a plumber can diagnose which one is causing the trouble. Tankless units also have a longer service life than tank models, so repair is usually worth it unless the unit is old or the heat exchanger itself has failed.