Water Heater Repair in Shreveport, LA
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Caddo Parish weather is hard on a water heater in its own way
Shreveport doesn't get the long, hard winters other places do. Homes here only need heat from November through March, and winter nights average 38°F. But that power grid takes a beating. Nearly half of Louisiana households lost power for 24 hours or more in 2024, and the parish has logged 279 damaging wind events and 7 winter storms over the past ten years.
A water heater doesn't handle outages the same way every time. Gas units with a standing pilot stay lit and come back on their own. Electric units and gas units with electronic ignition need the power to come back before they'll heat water again, and after a hard freeze or a long outage, that's when a weak thermostat or a failed heating element finally shows itself. If your water comes out cold or lukewarm after the lights flicker, that's usually where to look first.
- 38°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 and is failing from the inside. Water heaters have a steel tank with a glass lining, and once that lining cracks, the metal underneath corrodes and eventually lets water seep out at a seam or fitting near the bottom. A leaking tank can't be patched or sealed. It needs to be replaced. If the water is only appearing when the heater runs, it could instead be a loose drain valve or a fitting that just needs tightening, so it's worth checking those before assuming the tank is bad.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The most common cause is a worn thermocouple, the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve the flame is lit. When it wears out, it can't sense the flame properly and the gas valve shuts off, even though the pilot was burning fine a second ago. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft pulling the flame sideways can cause the same problem. A contractor can test the thermocouple and replace it if it's reading weak.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater are repairable. Mineral buildup on the heat exchanger is the most common issue, and it's usually cleared with a descaling flush rather than a replacement. Igniters, flow sensors, and venting problems can also be repaired individually. A contractor can diagnose which part is causing the trouble and repair that part rather than the whole unit.