Water heaters
Water heater repair, replacement and tankless installs
Gas and electric, tank and tankless. We find out what failed, tell you honestly whether to repair or replace, and install to current Arkansas code.
Chapter 01
No hot water, a rumbling tank, or a puddle in the closet
Most water heater calls start the same way. The shower runs cold halfway through, the water never gets as hot as it used to, the tank pops or rumbles while it heats, or there is moisture around the base. Rusty water and a gas pilot that keeps going out are the other two we hear about most. Each symptom points at a different part of the heater, and at a different bill.
Northwest Arkansas hard water is brutal on water heaters. Minerals settle out as sediment in the bottom of the tank, the burner or element has to heat through that layer, and the tank starts to knock. On an electric unit, a failed heating element or thermostat is the usual reason for lukewarm water. On a gas unit it is more often the thermocouple or the gas valve. A spent anode rod is the quiet one: once it is gone, the tank steel itself starts to corrode.
We service gas and electric heaters from all major brands in Springdale, Fayetteville, Rogers and Bentonville. Call (479) 790-3527, describe what the heater is doing, and we will tell you which of those causes it points to.
New tank water heater in a closet with a thermal expansion tank mounted above it
Repair or replace, and where the line really is
Our rule of thumb is plain. Repair makes sense when the tank is under eight to ten years old, one component has failed, and the repair costs well under half of a new installed unit. Replacement makes sense once the tank is ten to fifteen years old or more, when it is rusting, when the tank body is leaking, or when it has already been repaired once. Tank water heaters typically last eight to twelve years.
A leak from the tank body is not a repair, because the steel itself has let go. A leak from a fitting, a drain valve or the pressure relief line often is. That difference is the whole reason to have someone look before you order anything. We give free labor estimates, so you can see the repair and the replacement side by side.
When the answer is replacement, it goes faster because we stock units, and sizing matters. A tank sized for two people runs out on a family of five, and an oversized one heats water you never use. We size to the household, and we go over the tank size and efficiency ratings with you before the old one comes out.
Chapter 03
Installed to current Arkansas code, then the old unit leaves
A swap is a chance to bring the setup up to current Arkansas plumbing code. Outdated venting, a missing expansion tank and an improper drain pan are the three we find most often on older heaters. Fixing them during the install protects the manufacturer warranty on the new unit and keeps your insurance company from having a reason to argue after a leak.
The photo above shows what that looks like: a new tank in a closet with a thermal expansion tank mounted above it, braided connectors and fresh PEX. The expansion tank gives the extra pressure from heated water somewhere to go, so it does not push on the relief valve and your fixtures every time the heater cycles.
We haul off the old unit when we leave. In hard-water homes, plan on flushing the tank once a year and having the anode rod checked, since that is what keeps the next heater from rumbling in its fifth winter.
Rated 4.8 from 136 Google reviews. Licensed and insured in Arkansas. Call (479) 790-3527, Monday to Friday 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
The honest call
Two columns we use at your kitchen counter.
Repair usually makes sense when
- The tank is under about eight to ten years old.
- One part has failed: an element, a thermostat, a gas valve or a thermocouple.
- The tank body is sound, with no rust and no leak.
- The repair costs well under half of a new installed unit.
- Water is hot but the temperature swings, and the cause is isolated.
Replacement makes more sense when
- The tank is ten to fifteen years old or more.
- It is rusting, or water is coming from the tank body.
- It has already been repaired once and something else just failed.
- Energy bills keep climbing while the hot water gets worse.
- The repair would cost close to half of a new installed unit.
Not sure which column your heater lives in? Ask for a free labor estimate on the contact page, or ask about financing if a replacement is the right call.
Tank or tankless
Endless hot water takes a bigger gas line and the right vent.
A tankless heater makes hot water as you use it, so it does not run out mid-shower and it frees the floor space a tank takes up. It is also the install where the details matter most. A tankless unit pulls a lot of gas at once, so the gas line has to be sized for it, and the venting has to be run to the manufacturer requirements. We install and service tankless units, and we check both before we quote one.
A tank is the simpler install, and for plenty of Fayetteville and Rogers homes with an existing closet and vent, it is the sensible swap. If you are on the fence, tell us how many people live in the house and how many showers run on a school morning, and we will talk it through.
“This company did a great job with my water heater replacement. Quick scheduling, reasonable pricing, and overall very helpful and kind. Absolutely would use them again for any future plumbing needs.”
A heater that is leaking into a wall or a slab is a different problem. See leak detection if the water is showing up somewhere you cannot see, or call (479) 790-3527 and we will start there.