Water Heater Repair in Sheridan, WY
Tell us what your water heater is doing, and a licensed contractor who covers Sheridan County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Sheridan County asks a lot of a water heater
Your water heater works most of the year here, with heat needed from September through June. On winter nights averaging 13°F, the incoming water is colder too, so the burner or the elements run longer to bring a tank up to temperature. That extra runtime wears on the thermostat and the heating element in an electric unit, or the burner assembly and thermocouple in a gas one.
Wyoming sees real power loss. Statewide, 8% of households went at least 24 hours without power in 2024, and Sheridan County has logged 54 winter storms and 64 damaging wind events over the past ten years. When power drops on an electric water heater, it should come back on by itself once power returns. A gas water heater with a standing pilot stays lit through an outage and keeps working. If yours does not come back after the lights do, that points to a problem worth having looked at.
- 13°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 10 months
- September through June, 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 often the tank itself has rusted through, and once that happens the tank can't be sealed or patched. It builds up sediment over years, and that sediment corrodes the steel from the inside until it gives way. A leak can also come from the drain valve or a fitting on the bottom, which a contractor can replace without touching the tank. If it's the tank itself leaking, the water heater 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 sensor that proves the pilot is burning and tells the gas valve to stay open. When it wears out, it fails to sense the flame and shuts the gas off, so the pilot goes out again and again. A dirty pilot tube or a draft can also blow the flame out. A contractor can test the thermocouple and replace it if that's the cause.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater can be fixed without replacing the whole unit. Common repairs include descaling the heat exchanger, replacing an igniter or flow sensor, and clearing a blocked vent. A contractor can check the unit's error code and diagnose which part has failed.