Where’s the hot water?
This is fairly common problem. Before you reach for the phone to call in a professional, one of two things is probably wrong with your water heater:
1. If there is no loss of water pressure, but the water supply is cold and flows continuous, it’s probably a burned out pilot light or a blown fuse. Check a gas-fired unit to see if the pilot light is off. Follow the unit’s instructions to relight. If the pilot light is off, make sure you smell for gas and open the garage door and windows to air it out before re-lighting the pilot light. For an electric unit, check the fuse panel and flip the correct circuit breaker to “on”. Even if the breaker looks to be “on”, flip it to the “off” position and then to the “on” position. Sometimes the problem is just that easy to fix and you will have saved yourself a few bucks by not having to call in a professional which will have probably charged you at the very least for the service call.
2. If there is a reduction in water pressure, check your water heater for leakage. If your water heater is leaking, turn the valve on the top of the unit off. Next, shut off the fuel. Turn the gas control valve off for a gas-fired unit, or flip the circuit breaker off for an electric unit.
If neither of these two solutions work, then it is time to call in a professional. If you have a older water heater and are considering going “green”, a tankless water heater could be your answer. Check for Federal and local rebates with your energy supplier. In San Antonio, we use CPS.