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Why Your Water Heater Keeps Going Out

Plumbing Repair

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There’s nothing more annoying than getting up to take a shower and not having any hot water. Here are some of the reasons why your water heater might be going out, along with what you can do about it.

 

There are several different types of water heaters, but by and large, most homes will either have a gas tanked water heater or an electric water heater. Both of those types have thermostats that turn the heater on whenever the water cools down and turn the heater off when the water heats up. If you find yourself without hot water, it could simply be the thermostat acting up. Maybe the water gets cold after the shower is used a couple of times. Then about an hour later the hot water comes back again.

 

If running out of hot water is a daily occurrence, you definitely need to get the water heater checked. An undersized water heater will lead to premature failure. When a water heater’s tank cools down and heats up repeatedly every day, it causes expansion and contraction on the metal. This can be really hard on the heater because it just isn’t designed to deal with extreme temperature fluctuations. You don’t want to leave this issue unchecked for a long term. Premature failure could cause the tank to spring a leak and lead to catastrophic damage to the home.

 

Aside from a thermostat problem or undersized system, there are some other reasons why your water heater can stop working. It could be due to the electric heating elements or gas heating mechanisms (depending on whether it’s an electric or gas water heater). There are also lots of different things attached to a water heater, and they could potentially be causing safety concerns—especially if it’s a gas unit. If you feel like your water heater is malfunctioning, call a qualified service professional to look it over, diagnose the issue, and provide a long-term resolution.

 

There aren’t many things that you could do by yourself to resolve these kinds of issues. You might be able to hook a hose to the bottom of the tank to flush it out (if it’s a fairly new water heater) to help out with maintenance. But outside of that, I wouldn’t recommend anyone except a qualified professional to start digging into the water heater and taking it apart.

 

It might be a good idea to keep the contact info for a qualified professional handy just in case you have an issue with your water heater. Reach out to us today to request an appointment, contact us directly, or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

 

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What does someone usually mean when they say the toilet is running? It’s usually recognizable as the sound of continuous flushing coming from a nearby bathroom toilet. The water keeps running even though it hasn’t been recently used (which is probably way more noticeable while trying to get a good night’s sleep.) Here are several potential causes and solutions for a running toilet.

That Flapper

First, it might be caused by the flapper, which is the seal in the back of the toilet tank. This seal lifts up whenever you flush the toilet, and it allows water to run into the toilet bowl. If there’s a leak on that seal, water will continuously run into the bowl and go down into the drain (because the bowl has a sort of overflow built into it). Once the back of the tank is depleted, the water will cut on and fill it back up again.

That Float

Another potential cause is the float in the back of the tank that cuts water on or off depending on the tank’s water level. If the float fails, the valve connected to it will cause water to overfill the tank, which then runs through the overflow in the tank and down into the toilet bowl. If the toilet has some age on it, it might be a better idea to have it replaced instead of just repairing the faulty parts. If it’s a newer toilet, you can replace the actual float in the valve or the seal in the back of the tank to resolve the issue.

The True Cost

You definitely don’t want to allow toilet issues like these to go on for a long period of time because it can cost you a lot of money. Homeowners are frequently surprised to find out that their toilet issue was responsible for dramatically increasing their water bill. If you use well water at no cost instead of having to rely on city water, you might think it’s no big deal. However, the steady flow of water that comes from a faulty toilet component can cause damage to the septic system, too. It’s not that complicated to get your toilet fixed, so take the initiative before it leads to something much bigger.

Fixing It

Should you try to fix the toilet yourself or contact a professional? There usually isn’t much of a risk if you’re replacing a flapper or doing something inside the tank. It’s much more risky if you are replacing the fill valve and you start messing with the supply line that goes to the toilet tank. That’s where I’d draw the line and recommend getting a professional involved. If not done properly, the line could blow apart and flood your home and/or cause water to run into the walls and floor.

If you have a toilet issue, reach out to the team at Wisler Plumbing and Air. Request an appointment, contact us, or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

 

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There are definitely both pros and cons for one-truck plumbers and larger plumbing companies. At one point in time, I was a one-truck company as well. (Everyone has to get started somewhere.) I think most people initially consider how much it will cost to hire a one-truck plumber versus a larger plumbing company. It is true that larger plumbing companies have higher overhead. Therefore, their rates are going to be higher than a one-truck company. But what does that overhead cover, and what does it provide to homeowners? That will come into play as we review the differences between these two company types.

Availability

First, and foremost, is availability to provide service. When homeowners have a plumbing problem, they usually want it to get taken care of very quickly. Unfortunately, a one-truck company’s lack of resources means they can only be one place at any given time. Although their rates might be lower, it could take them weeks to make the visit. That’s something you might want to consider if you’re thinking about who to choose.

Training

Another difference I think worth mentioning is whether the employees receive ongoing training. A company with one to three employees is often going to be tied up with taking care of daily work. Since they have to wear multiple different hats, they aren’t going to be able to focus on perfecting their craft or keeping current with the times as new products come out. It can be very challenging for a smaller company to have the resources to train on installing, diagnosing, or repairing newly released products. This doesn’t have to be the case with a larger company. We’re very committed to continuing education for all of our technicians. My brother, Brian’s full-time job is to train incoming technicians as well as tenure technicians.

Options

When a technician from a one-truck plumber visits someone’s home—even if they’ve been in the plumbing trade for many years—they might not be trained on how to work with something like a new tankless water heater. If you wanted a tankless system put in your home, they wouldn’t know how to size it properly or install it properly without that training. They probably wouldn’t even suggest it to you as a potential option. Instead, they might say something like, “Well, tankless water heaters don’t work well and they aren’t worth the money,” when that may not actually be the case. (Of course, there are situations where tankless heaters aren’t the best solution, but sometimes they’re a no-brainer.)

Warranty and Service

Another thing to consider is that smaller one-truck operations tend to be priced more economically because they usually base their prices on the volume of work they need to do in a week or a month. (This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but it’s usually how one-truck companies operate.) Therefore, they really don’t have the availability to go back for a return visit that won’t pay them any money—after all, they have bills to pay. If you pay an economical price, you’re probably not going to get a warranty, and if you do call the company, it’s probably not going to go well. Everyone should be aware of this added risk as a consumer. Although the price might be less expensive up front, what’s the total cost moving forward?

We’re priced to make a profit so that we can stay in business. That’s important for the security of our employees, but most importantly, it allows us to give warranties for every water heater, faucet, or toilet we put in a client’s home. Clients know they can call us back 8 years in the future if anything goes wrong. It’s well-known that most small businesses fail within the first 5 years, so if a company doesn’t properly set their prices to sustain them well into the future, they might not be around to service the product they installed. The cheapest price isn’t always the best in the long run.

We aren’t everyone’s plumber, and we obviously aren’t the largest plumbing company either. If someone can find a one-truck company that works really well with them, I tip my hat and wish them good luck. Regardless of your choice of a one-truck company or a larger company, it’s a matter of weighing the pros and cons to choose the best option for your needs.

 

If you want to find out whether Wisler Plumbing & Air is the right fit for your home, contact us today or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

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Most people don’t think about their water heater and how it needs maintenance, but it’s just like any other piece of equipment. Our car, house, and even our own bodies need maintenance. If we don’t exercise and eat healthy, we’re probably not going to last as long. If we don’t change the oil in our car, it won’t last as long, either. Maintenance is just a good idea, but it can also be a way to save money.

Most people don’t realize that buildup occurs in the water heater, especially if there’s hardness in the water. Calcium is dissolved in hard water, but as it is heated, the calcium solidifies and accumulates either on the element of an electric heater or on the bottom of a gas water heater. The layer of calcium buildup acts as an insulation barrier, which means the water heater has to work harder to do the same job. Therefore, it will cause over-payment on your electric or gas bill. To help reduce buildup, we will flush the water heater.

The tank that holds the water is kind of like a settling tank. If there’s debris, sediment, or calcium, it’s going to settle to the bottom of the heater. The tank will corrode very quickly if it’s got a bunch of sediment and gunk at the bottom. That’s going to cause premature failure, and we solve that by flushing the tank as well.

We also check the anode rod when we maintain a water heater. (The owner’s manual says this should be done as part of proper maintenance.) The anode rod is there to protect the metal that makes up the tank itself. Once the anode rod is completely depleted, there is no protection left. If we replace the anode rod when it depletes, we can add a couple of years to the life of the water heater (which saves you money).

If it’s been a while since you had your water heater checked and maintained, just reach out to the team at Wisler Plumbing & Air. Contact us online or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

 

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James Wisler, Owner of Wisler Plumbing and Air

Our technicians have the biggest hearts. And, right now, we have a little extra time on our frequently-washed hands. So, we want to help.

Stuck at Home and Need Help?

If you’re stuck at home with plumbing or heating problems, you can talk with one of our certified technicians for FREE. We can troubleshoot on the phone or video chat. If your parents in Illinois need help, we’ll talk to them, too. Anyone with a phone or laptop can be a complimentary customer of Wisler Plumbing and Air. And, if needed, we can come to you for a more traditional visit. Sorry, visitations are only for those in our service area (although we may be able to recommend some of our plumber friends in other areas).

Call anytime: (540) 483-9382

Reducing Fear.

For some, uncertain times come with uncertainty around finances. We want to ease as much fear in your life as possible. That’s one reason we offer free Without Worry Comfort Checks and free phone consultations. The next time you speak with us, if you’re fearful of payment, ask about our payment plans. Water, heating and air, and plumbing are essential, money should not be an obstacle.

Look for the Helpers.

Mister Rogers once said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers.’”

We’re Wisler Plumbing & Air, and we want to help. We’re in this together. We have your backs, just like you have ours.

P.S. – And thanks, Dad, for teaching us how to be the helpers.

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Exciting News

We have some very exciting news involving how our organization will change starting in 2020: We’re going to be offering HVAC services to all of our clients and the community at large! Right now we’re extremely busy at work to recruit competent people who fit into our organization and allow us to bring the HVAC trade onboard. Once we ramp up all of our systems and procedures, residential owner-occupied homes can come to us as a one-stop shop for water treatment, plumbing, drain cleaning, and HVAC as well.

Our Goals

One of the areas we’ll be working on over the next four to six months is our installs (both plumbing and HVAC) to make sure we do a better job with lead times for our clients. For instance, if one of our plumbers goes out for a leaky pipe and they find that all the pipes are in rough shape, they may recommend a re-pipe of the home. Sometimes the job might take 3 to 5 days to complete, in addition to getting put on a schedule with a wait time of two or even three weeks. We want to be able to shorten that lead time so we’re more responsive for these kinds of larger projects.

Continuing to Grow

This is a huge change for 2020, and we’re definitely going to continue to grow. We anticipate 15% growth next year, and along with that growth comes more new people and more business. We’re on track to run our first HVAC calls at the end of this year, so by the time January rolls around we should be well in the groove of things.

 

If you have any questions about HVAC or plumbing, contact us online or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

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