Water Heater Repair in Willmar, MN
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What a Willmar winter does to your water heater
Groundwater coming into your house is already cold when it arrives, and from December through February the ground and pipes it travels through sit near 7°F on an average night. Your water heater has to work harder to bring that water up to temperature, and it does that work nine months of the year, September through May, whenever the rest of the house is also asking for heat.
That long stretch of hard use wears on the heating element and the thermostat that controls it, and a tank that has to run longer each cycle builds up sediment faster at the bottom. When the power goes out, most tanks come back on by themselves, but Minnesota households saw outages of a day or more last year often enough that it is worth knowing your water heater will need a few hours to recover the temperature it lost.
- 7°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 9 months
- September 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 reason is that the tank itself has rusted through from the inside. Once the glass lining inside the tank cracks or wears out, the steel underneath starts to corrode, and eventually water finds its way through. A leak from the bottom can also come from a loose drain valve or a fitting that has failed, which a contractor can check before assuming the tank is done. If the tank itself is the source, the water heater needs to be replaced, since a corroded tank cannot be sealed or patched.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- Most often this means the thermocouple has worn out and can no longer sense that the pilot is burning, so it shuts the gas off as a safety measure. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft near the burner can also blow the flame out or keep it from heating the thermocouple properly. If you smell gas at any point, stop trying to relight it and have a contractor look at it. A standing pilot does not run on electricity, so a power outage is never the cause.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater are repairable. Mineral buildup on the heat exchanger, a failed igniter, or a clogged inlet filter are common issues, and none of them require replacing the whole unit. A contractor can flush the system or replace the specific part that has failed, and can check the unit's history to see if scale buildup is behind repeat problems.