Water Heater Repair in Naperville, IL
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Cold groundwater and long winters wear on your water heater here
DuPage County homes need heat from October through May, and the water coming into your tank runs cold for most of that stretch. Winter nights averaging 19°F mean the incoming water is colder too, so the burner or the heating element has to work longer and more often to keep up. That extra run time wears on the parts that do the heating, the gas valve, the thermocouple, the heating element itself.
Power matters here too. Sixteen percent of Illinois households lost power for at least 24 hours in 2024, and this county has seen 180 damaging wind events and 15 winter storms over the past ten years. When the power drops and comes back, an electric water heater usually resets on its own, but a unit that was already struggling with the cold may not recover the same way. You notice it as water that never quite gets hot, or takes longer to warm up than it used to.
- 19°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 can also drip from the bottom if a drain valve is loose or if the temperature and pressure relief valve is letting water out through its discharge pipe. A loose valve or fitting can be fixed, but once the tank itself is rusted and leaking, the tank needs to be replaced. A contractor can tell you which one you're dealing with by checking where the water is actually coming from.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- This usually means the thermocouple has worn out and can no longer sense that the pilot is burning, so it shuts the gas off. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft blowing across the flame can cause the same thing. It can also mean the gas valve itself is failing, which is a less common but more serious cause. A contractor can test the thermocouple and gas valve to find out which part is at fault.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems in a tankless water heater are repairable. Common issues include a clogged inlet filter, mineral scale built up on the heat exchanger, or a failed igniter, and each of these can be cleaned or replaced. The exchanger itself is the most expensive part to replace, so a contractor will check that first if the unit is older or heavily scaled before recommending repair over replacement.