Water Heater Repair in Flagstaff, AZ
Tell us what your water heater is doing, and a licensed contractor who covers Coconino County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Flagstaff winters are hard on a water heater
Your water heater works from October through May here, and on winter nights that average 23°F, the water coming into the tank is as cold as it gets. The unit has to work harder to bring it up to temperature, and it does that for eight months straight. That extra strain shows up first in the heating element or the burner assembly, whichever your unit uses, and in the thermostat that controls them.
Coconino County also sees frequent winter storms and damaging wind, and power does not always hold. A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps working through an outage, but one with electronic ignition will not restart on its own. An electric water heater simply stops until power is back. If your water has been lukewarm or cold since an outage, that is often why.
- 23°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 8 months
- October through May, the months homes here need heat
- 7%
- of Arizona 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 $80 a year off hot water for a typical Arizona home.
Estimates for a typical Arizona home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and Arizona 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?
- Most often the tank itself has rusted through and is failing from the inside. Water heater tanks are lined, but once that lining wears through, the steel underneath corrodes and eventually leaks, and there is no patch for that. It can also be the drain valve or a fitting at the bottom that has loosened or corroded, which a contractor can sometimes replace without touching the tank. If the tank itself is leaking, it needs to be replaced, not repaired.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The thermocouple is the usual cause. It is the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve the flame is lit, and once it wears out it can't hold that signal, so the valve shuts the gas off. A weak or dirty pilot flame can cause the same problem, and sometimes drafts near the burner blow the flame out. A licensed contractor can test the thermocouple and replace it if that's the cause.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater are repairable. The heat exchanger, igniter, flow sensor and venting can all be serviced or replaced on their own without replacing the unit. Mineral buildup is common too, especially if the water is hard, and flushing the unit often restores it. A licensed contractor can diagnose which part is at fault and price the repair for your unit.