Water Heater Repair in Shakopee, MN
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Cold groundwater and winter power outages both work against your water heater
From October through May, the water coming into your house is cold, and stays that way for eight months straight. Your water heater has to work harder and longer to bring it up to temperature, and that extra run time wears on the heating element or the burner assembly faster than it would somewhere warmer.
Winter nights here average 10°F, and the county has seen 35 winter storms and 53 damaging wind events over the past ten years. Across Minnesota, 13% of households lost power for 24 hours or more in 2024. A gas water heater with a standing pilot will keep working through an outage, but one with electronic ignition will not light again until power comes back and someone relights it. If your water heater has stopped putting out hot water after a storm, that is often the first thing to check.
- 10°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 8 months
- October through May, the months homes here need heat
- 13%
- of Minnesota 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 $50 a year off hot water for a typical Minnesota home.
Estimates for a typical Minnesota home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and Minnesota 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?
- The most common cause is the tank itself failing from the inside. Sediment builds up over years and corrodes the steel, and once a hole forms there, water works its way out the bottom of the unit. A leak can also come from a loose drain valve or a fitting above the tank running down the side, so it is worth drying everything off and checking where the water first appears. A tank leaking from the bottom usually means replacement, not repair, since the damage is inside the steel.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- Most often the thermocouple has worn out and can no longer hold the gas valve open once you let go. It is a small part that sits in the pilot flame, and after years of heating and cooling it stops sending the signal the valve needs. A weak pilot flame, a draft near the burner, or a dirty pilot orifice can cause the same symptom. A contractor can test the thermocouple with a meter and tell you which one it is.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless unit are repairable. Common issues are a scaled up heat exchanger, a failed flow sensor, or an igniter that will not light the burner, and all of those can be replaced or serviced without replacing the whole unit. Tankless units run longer than tank models when the heat exchanger is kept clean, so repair is usually the first option a contractor will check.