Water Heater Repair in Worland, WY
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Nine months of hard use, and a grid that doesn't always hold
Your water heater works from September through May here, and on winter nights averaging 12°F it has to fight harder to keep water hot. The incoming water is colder, so the burner or element runs longer to make up the difference. That extra runtime wears on the same parts that light or heat the water, and a thermocouple or heating element that was already weak often fails right in the middle of winter, when you need it most.
Washakie County sees its share of winter storms, 51 of them over the last ten years, along with 27 damaging wind events. Storms like these knock out power, and statewide, 8 percent of Wyoming households lost power for 24 hours or more in 2024. A gas water heater with a standing pilot will keep working through an outage. One with electronic ignition or an electric unit will not, and you will notice hot water not coming back until power does.
- 12°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 rusted through and is starting to fail. Water heaters have a steel tank with a glass lining, and once that lining cracks, the steel underneath corrodes until it gives way. A leak from the bottom can also come from the drain valve or from a loose fitting where a pipe connects, and those are worth checking first since they can be fixed without replacing anything. If the tank itself is the source, the unit 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 sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve it is safe to keep the gas flowing. When it wears out, it stops sensing the flame correctly and shuts the gas off even though the pilot is lit. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft in the area can also blow the flame out or keep it from sensing properly. A contractor can test the thermocouple and replace it if that is the problem.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater can be repaired rather than requiring a full replacement. Common repairs include cleaning mineral buildup off the heat exchanger, replacing an igniter or flow sensor, and clearing a blocked vent. A contractor can run the unit's error code, since most tankless models display one, to find the exact part causing the problem.