Water Heater Repair in Boise City, ID
Tell us what your water heater is doing, and a licensed contractor who covers Ada County will get in touch.
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What Boise winters do to your water heater
Your water heater works harder from October through May, when incoming water runs cold and the tank has to make up more ground to get hot water out of the tap. On nights near 25°F, that difference is even bigger. The burner or heating element cycles more to keep up, and that extra work wears on the thermostat and the heating element in an electric unit, or the burner assembly and thermocouple in a gas one.
Ada County also sees its share of winter storms and wind events that knock out power. If your water heater is electric, it will not heat water until power is back. Gas units with a standing pilot keep working through an outage, but if the pilot has blown out or the electronic ignition lost power, it needs to be relit or reset before you get hot water again.
- 25°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 8 months
- October through May, the months homes here need heat
- 11%
- of Idaho 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 Idaho home.
Estimates for a typical Idaho home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and Idaho 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 rusted through from the inside and is starting to fail. Sediment builds up at the bottom of the tank over years, and once it wears through the steel, water finds its way out and there is no patching it. A leak can also come from the drain valve or a fitting near the bottom, which a contractor can check before deciding the tank needs to be replaced.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- Usually the thermocouple has worn out and stopped sensing that the flame is lit, so the gas valve shuts off the pilot as a safety measure. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft in the area can also blow the flame out. A contractor can test the thermocouple and clean or replace the parts that keep the flame from holding.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems on a tankless unit are repairable. Mineral scale on the heat exchanger, a failed igniter, or a clogged inlet filter are common issues, and a contractor can flush the unit or replace the failed part. Given how many homes in Ada County heat with gas, a good number of these units are gas-fired, and a contractor will check the venting and gas supply along with the unit itself.