Signs to check

I have no hot water

The usual causes are few, and most are parts rather than a whole tank.

Often a repair
Electric: no heat at all
A tripped breaker, a failed thermostat or a burned-out element. The breaker is worth a look before you call.
Repair first
Gas: no heat, pilot out
A worn thermocouple or a gas control valve. We do not relight a pilot that smells of gas; see the pilot page.
We check first
Warm, never hot, or it runs out fast
One of two elements gone, a dip tube worn through, or a tank full of sediment from hard water. Often fixable; sometimes a sign of age.

Safety and a quick look

Check these before you call

If you smell gas, leave the house and call 911 or your gas utility before anything else. Don't touch switches or relight anything.

The breaker or the pilot
Electric: reset the tank's breaker once. Gas: look at the pilot window. If it keeps going out, stop there.
The label on the tank
Take a photo of it. Size, fuel and the date it was made are all on it, and they tell us what to bring.
Where the water is cold
All taps, or just one? One cold tap is a fixture problem, not the tank.

We tell you both prices and which we'd pick.

No hot water: repair or replace
	Replace	Repair
The cause	ReplaceRust inside, or several parts failing	RepairOne element, thermostat or thermocouple
The tank	ReplaceOld, leaking or full of sediment	RepairDry, sound, not near the end of its life
What it costs	ReplaceThe tank, the swap and the haul-away, in writing	RepairThe part and the labor, in writing

If every hot tap is cold, it's the heater. If just one is, it's the fixture.

The label has a date. We read it and tell you what we'd do at that age, with the price of both.

Central Florida water is hard, and it builds sediment in a tank. We flush a tank when that is the cause.

Call or text the label photo. We tell you repair or replace before anyone drives out.