water heating · TN LLP #5045 · verify.tn.gov
Water Heater Repair
No hot water, pilot problems, leaking tanks, and element failures.
Quick answer
No hot water, a pilot that will not stay lit, a leaking tank, or a failed element — we repair water heaters across the corridor including Chattanooga, because a repair needs no repair. A full replacement is a separate job.
Not every water heater problem is a replacement. Many are a thermocouple, an element, or a valve, and we can do that everywhere we serve. When a tank is genuinely done, we will tell you rather than sell you a repair that will not hold.
A water heater rarely fails politely. It goes out on the coldest morning, or it starts leaking the day before company arrives. The good news is that a lot of what looks like a dead heater is a single failed part, and parts are a straightforward repair we can do anywhere we serve.
The judgment call that matters is repair versus replace, and it is one people get sold on wrong all the time. We give you the honest version: a young tank with a bad part is worth repairing, and a tank leaking from its body is not.
What the job covers
- No-hot-water and not-enough-hot-water diagnostics
- Pilot, thermocouple, and gas-valve repairs
- Heating element and thermostat replacement on electric units
- Leaking-fitting and valve repairs
- A straight call on repair versus replacement
How to tell
Signs you need water heater repair
- No hot water at all, or it runs out far faster than it used to
- A pilot light that will not stay lit on a gas unit
- Popping, rumbling, or crackling from the tank (usually sediment)
- Rusty or discolored hot water
- Water pooling around the base of the heater
- A recovery time that keeps getting longer between showers
Gas versus electric: what actually fails
On a gas water heater, the usual suspects are the thermocouple or the gas control valve — the parts that keep the pilot lit and the burner firing. A pilot that will not stay lit is one of the most common calls we get, and it is usually an affordable repair, not a new unit.
On an electric water heater, it is typically a heating element or a thermostat. A single failed element is why a lot of people suddenly get lukewarm water or run out fast. Both are common, and both are repairs.
Repair or replace: how we decide with you
Age and failure decide it. Under roughly ten years with a bad part, a repair is usually the right move and we will do it. A tank leaking from the body itself is failed and no repair fixes that — that one is a replacement, and we will say so plainly rather than patch it to get through the week.
Sediment plays into it too. In the hard water common across southeast Tennessee, minerals collect in the bottom of the tank, which is what causes the rumbling and shortens the unit’s life. It is worth knowing whether treatment makes sense so the next heater lasts longer than this one did.
How we work
How we handle water heater repair
Diagnose the real fault
Pin down whether it is a part, sediment, or a failed tank before quoting anything.
Repair what is worth repairing
Thermocouples, valves, elements, and thermostats are fixes we do on the spot.
Be straight about replacement
If the tank is done, we say so and lay out the replacement honestly rather than a repair that will not hold.
Flag the cause
If hard water is eating your heaters, we tell you, because a fourth failed tank is not bad luck.
Permits
Some plumbing work requires a permit and an inspection, and some does not. Whether one is required for your job is determined by the Authority Having Jurisdiction — the city or county building and codes office for your address — and it is at their discretion.
Usually requires a permit
- Water heater replacement and tankless conversion
- Whole-house repiping
- Water service line and sewer line replacement
- Gas line installation and repair
- Relocating a fixture to a new position
Usually does not
- Drain cleaning and clearing blockages
- Emergency and repair work
- Like-for-like fixture replacement
- Water heater repair
- Camera inspection and diagnostics
This is general guidance rather than a ruling, and it can differ from one town to the next. The Authority Having Jurisdiction makes the determination. Across the Bradley–McMinn corridor we pull the permit and book the inspection ourselves. Inside Hamilton County and Chattanooga the permit office does not accept an application from our license class, so permit-required jobs there are referred to a licensed partner who does the work and meets the inspector.
Common questions
Water Heater Repair: your questions answered
Why do I suddenly have no hot water?
Is it worth repairing or should I just replace it?
My tank is leaking from the bottom. Can that be fixed?
The pilot will not stay lit. What is that?
What kind of warranty do you offer?
Are you actually licensed?
Get service
Book Drain Pros TN for water heater repair.
Call for the fastest response, request service online, or send the form and we’ll reach out. Woman-owned and family-run, licensed, with straight pricing you approve before we start and 24/7 emergency service.
TN Limited Licensed Plumber · #5045 · verify at verify.tn.gov
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