Water Heater Repair in Moline, IL
Tell us what your water heater is doing, and a licensed contractor who covers Rock Island County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Rock Island County winters are hard on a water heater
Groundwater coming into your house is already cold when winter sets in, and from December through February nights here average 18°F. Your water heater has to work harder to make up that difference, and it runs that way for eight months, October through May. That extra load falls on the heating element or the burner, and on the thermostat that controls it.
Power matters too. Across Illinois, 16% of households lost power for at least 24 hours in 2024, and this county has seen 23 winter storms and 87 damaging wind events over the past ten years. A gas water heater with a standing pilot will keep working through an outage. One with electronic ignition will not light again until the power is back and someone resets it. Either way, when the power comes back on, check that your water heater actually restarted.
- 18°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 corroded through and is failing. Water heaters have a steel tank with a glass lining, and once that lining cracks, rust eats through the metal and water seeps out the bottom. It can also be a loose drain valve or a fitting that's come loose, which a contractor can tighten or replace. But if the tank itself is rusted through, it needs to be replaced, since there's no way to patch it.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The most common cause is a worn thermocouple, the small part that senses the pilot flame and tells the gas valve to stay open. When it wears out, it can't sense the flame properly and shuts the gas off even though the pilot is lit. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft in the area can also blow the flame out. A contractor can test the thermocouple and replace it if that's the cause.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most tankless water heater problems are repairable. Common issues are a scaled-up heat exchanger, a failed igniter, or a blocked vent, and each of these can be cleaned or replaced without swapping the whole unit. A contractor can flush the system or replace the specific part causing the problem.