Water Heater Repair in Joliet, IL
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Will County winters are hard on a water heater
Your water heater works harder from October through May, when the water coming into it starts out cold. On nights that average 20°F through December through February, the tank cycles more just to hold its setting, and that extra work adds up on the heating element or burner assembly over time.
Power matters too. In Illinois, 16% of households went at least 24 hours without power in 2024, and Will County has recorded 17 winter storms over the past ten years. A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps working through an outage. One with electronic ignition will not light again until the power comes back.
- 20°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 8 months
- October through May, the months homes here need heat
- 16%
- of Illinois 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 $60 a year off hot water for a typical Illinois home.
Estimates for a typical Illinois home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and Illinois 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 starting to fail. Water heaters corrode from the inside out over years of use, and once the tank wall is breached, no fitting or valve can stop it. A leak from the bottom can also come from the drain valve or from condensation, so a contractor needs to look at the actual source before you assume the tank is done. If the tank itself is leaking, replacement is the only fix.
- 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 a flame is present. When it wears out, it can't hold that signal long enough, so the gas valve shuts off the pilot even though it lit fine a moment ago. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft in the area can also blow the flame out. A standing pilot doesn't run on electricity, so a power issue isn't the cause.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most tankless water heater problems are repairable. Issues like a fouled flow sensor, a scaled heat exchanger, or an igniter that's failing are common and a contractor can usually fix them without replacing the unit. Hard water buildup inside the heat exchanger is one of the more frequent reasons a tankless unit stops heating properly, and it can often be flushed clean rather than replaced.