Water Heater Repair in Fort Thomas, KY
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Cold groundwater and winter storms both take a toll
From December through February, Fort Thomas nights average 26°F, and the water coming into your tank is just as cold. Your water heater has to work harder to bring it up to temperature, and it does that seven months a year, October through April. That extra strain wears on the heating element in an electric tank and the burner assembly in a gas one, until one day the water coming out of the tap is lukewarm instead of hot.
Campbell County has seen 13 winter storms and 43 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and storms like that knock out power. Across Kentucky, nearly a quarter of households lost power for 24 hours or more in 2024. Most gas water heaters with a standing pilot keep working through an outage, but electric water heaters and those with electronic ignition go cold until the power comes back, and some need a hand relighting the pilot or resetting a switch once it does.
- 26°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 7 months
- October through April, the months homes here need heat
- 24%
- of Kentucky 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 $70 a year off hot water for a typical Kentucky home.
Estimates for a typical Kentucky home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and Kentucky 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 tank itself is likely rusted through and holding water it can no longer contain. Sediment builds up at the bottom of the tank over the years, and once it eats through the steel, the leak will not stop or seal itself. It could also be a loose drain valve or a fitting at the bottom, which a contractor can tighten or replace, but a leak from the tank body means the water heater needs to be replaced. Shut off the water supply to the tank and the power or gas to it until someone can look at it.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The most common cause is a worn thermocouple, the small sensor that tells the gas valve the pilot is burning. When it fails, the valve shuts the gas off as a safety measure even though the flame was fine a moment before. Dirt or a draft in the burner area can also blow the pilot out. A contractor can test the thermocouple and replace it, which usually solves it.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes. Most problems come down to a handful of parts, the flow sensor, the igniter, or the heat exchanger, and a contractor can test each one and replace what has failed. Mineral buildup inside the unit is another common cause of poor heating or error codes, especially if the water heater has never been flushed. A contractor can look at the error code or symptoms and tell you whether it is a repair or worth replacing.