Water Heater Repair across Vaughan

Rental tank or owned?

Many Vaughan homes rent their water heater. When yours wears a rental company's label on it, call them first; repairs are usually included in the agreement and a third party should not open it. If you own the tank, read on. Our note on rental water heaters explains the difference.

Gas tanks: the usual faults

• Pilot will not stay lit: a tired thermocouple or thermopile, or a sooty flame sensor.
• Power-vent unit shows an error: blocked intake or exhaust, a failed pressure switch, or the venter motor.
• Hot water runs out early: a broken dip tube mixing cold into the top of the tank, or sediment insulating the burner.
• Rumbling and popping: sediment on the base of the tank boiling under the burner.

Electric tanks

Two heating elements and two thermostats. When the upper element fails, there is no hot water at all. When the lower one fails, the hot runs out quickly. We test elements with a meter, replace the failed one, and check the high-limit reset. Electrical safety comes first: the breaker is off and verified before the cover comes off.

The relief valve

The T&P relief valve on the side of the tank opens if the tank overheats or the pressure climbs too high. If it drips, either the valve itself has worn or the pressure in the house is too high, often because a backflow device or check valve has closed the system and there is no expansion tank. We find which, rather than just swapping the valve.

Repair or replace?

A tank past roughly ten to twelve years with a failed burner part is often worth repairing once. A tank of the same age with sediment, a weeping fitting and poor recovery is usually done. Our guide on water heater lifespan lists the signs, and flushing a tank covers basic upkeep.