Water Heater Repair in Cheyenne, WY
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Cheyenne winters are hard on a water heater
Your water heater works nine months a year here, September through May, and on the cold nights it works hardest. Winter nights average 16°F from December through February, and incoming water that cold makes the burner or element run longer to hold a set temperature. That extra run time wears on the thermostat and heating element in an electric unit, or the burner assembly and thermocouple in a gas one.
Laramie County has also logged 382 winter storms and 1,869 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and storms like these knock out power. A gas water heater with a standing pilot will keep working through an outage. One with electric ignition will not relight until power is back, and you will notice when the hot water simply stops.
- 16°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 9 months
- September through May, the months homes here need heat
- 8%
- of Wyoming 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 $70 a year off hot water for a typical Wyoming home.
Estimates for a typical Wyoming home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and Wyoming 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 of the time this means the tank itself has failed. Sediment builds up inside over the years, and it wears through the metal or corrodes the lining until it develops a leak that won't stop. A leaking fitting or valve near the top can drip down the side and pool at the bottom, so it's worth checking the connections and the drain valve before assuming the tank is gone. If the tank itself is leaking, it needs to be replaced, not repaired.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The most common cause is a worn thermocouple, the small part that senses the pilot flame and keeps gas flowing to it. Once it wears out, it can't confirm the flame is lit and shuts the gas off, so the pilot goes out again and again. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft in the area can cause the same problem. A contractor can test the thermocouple and replace it, which usually solves it.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater can be repaired without replacing the whole unit. Common issues include a scaled-up heat exchanger, a failed igniter, or an error code pointing to a sensor or the venting. A contractor can pull the error code from the unit's display and diagnose it from there.