Water Heater Repair in Hermiston, OR
Tell us what your water heater is doing, and a licensed contractor who covers Umatilla County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Ten months of hot water demand, and storms that cut the power
Your water heater works from September through June here, ten months of the year. Winter nights averaging 27°F mean the water coming into the tank starts out cold, so the burner or heating element runs longer to bring it up to temperature. That extra runtime wears on those parts faster than in a house that only asks for hot water part of the year.
Umatilla County has logged 90 winter storms and 77 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and in Oregon, 20% of households went at least 24 hours without power in 2024. A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps working through an outage. Most electric units and gas models with electronic ignition do not come back on by themselves. Power returns, but the water heater needs to be checked or reset before it will heat again.
- 27°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 10 months
- September through June, the months homes here need heat
- 20%
- of Oregon 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 $390 a year off hot water for a typical Oregon home.
Estimates for a typical Oregon home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and Oregon 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?
- The most common reason is that the tank itself has rusted through from the inside and is failing. Water is heavy, so once a crack or a pinhole opens up, it runs down the outside of the tank and pools underneath, which is why it looks like it is coming from the bottom. It can also be a loose drain valve or a fitting that has failed, so it is worth checking those before assuming the tank is done. A leaking tank cannot be repaired and needs to be replaced, so a contractor will need to look at it to tell you which one you have.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- Usually this means the thermocouple is worn out and no longer telling the gas valve that the pilot is lit, so the valve shuts the gas off. It can also be a weak pilot flame that is not reaching the thermocouple, or a draft blowing the flame out. A standing pilot does not use any electricity, so this is not a power issue. A contractor can test the thermocouple and replace it if that is the cause.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater are repairable. Common issues are a failed igniter, a clogged inlet filter, mineral buildup on the heat exchanger, or a flow sensor that is not reading correctly. Because these units run on demand rather than storing water, a fault code on the display usually points a contractor straight to the part that needs attention.