Water Heater Repair in Lake Charles, LA
Tell us what your water heater is doing, and a licensed contractor who covers Calcasieu Parish will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
What outages do to a water heater here
Nearly half of Louisiana households went at least a day without power in 2024, and Calcasieu Parish has logged 77 damaging wind events over the past ten years. Every one of those outages shuts your water heater down cold.
Most water heaters come back on by themselves once power returns. A standing pilot never went out at all. But if the gas control or the ignition system was already weak, the outage is when it finally gives up, and you find out with a cold shower once the lights are back on.
- 44°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 5 months
- November through March, the months homes here need heat
- 49%
- of Louisiana 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 $250 a year off hot water for a typical Louisiana home.
Estimates for a typical Louisiana home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and Louisiana 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 from the inside and is cracking. Sediment builds up on the bottom of the tank over years, and it holds moisture against the steel until it wears a hole. Once a tank is leaking this way it needs to be replaced, not repaired. A leak can also come from a drain valve that is loose or from a fitting near the bottom, and a contractor can tell you which one you have.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The most common cause is a thermocouple that has worn out and no longer senses the flame, so the gas valve shuts off the pilot as a safety measure. It can also be a dirty pilot tube, a draft pulling the flame away from the sensor, or a failing gas valve. A thermocouple is a low-cost part to replace and is usually the first thing a contractor checks.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes. Most problems, a bad igniter, a clogged inlet filter, mineral buildup on the heat exchanger, a faulty flow sensor, are individual parts that a contractor can replace or clean without swapping out the whole unit. Tankless units also run diagnostic codes, so a contractor can usually read the code and go straight to the part that failed. Buildup in the heat exchanger is common in areas with hard water and shows up as inconsistent hot water temperature.