Water Heater Repair in Pomona, CA

Signs your water heater needs work

• No hot water at all, or hot water that runs out much faster than it used to.
• Popping or rumbling when the burner runs. That's usually sediment on the bottom of the tank, and Pomona's hard water makes plenty of it.
• Rusty or brown water from the hot side while the cold runs clear.
• Water on the floor around the base, or a drip from the relief valve pipe on the side of the tank.
• A pilot light that won't stay lit, or a burner that lights and then goes out.
• Hot water that smells like rotten eggs.
• A tankless unit showing an error code or running lukewarm.

Repair or replace?

A lot of water heater problems are fixable. Thermocouples, gas control valves, igniters, heating elements on electric units, anode rods and relief valves can all be swapped out. A tank that leaks from the tank body can't be fixed. The steel has rusted through, and the only fix is a new heater.

Age matters too. Tank water heaters commonly last somewhere around 8 to 12 years, and hard water pushes that toward the short end. If yours is past that range and needs an expensive part, replacement often makes more sense. The manufacture date is on the label, sometimes coded into the serial number.

What a water heater replacement involves in Pomona

1. The plumber pulls a permit with the City of Pomona Building & Safety Division.
2. The old tank is drained, disconnected and hauled out.
3. The new heater is set in place with two earthquake straps, which California requires.
4. On gas units, a new flex connector and a sediment trap go on the gas line.
5. The vent connector and draft get checked so exhaust goes up the flue, not into your garage or closet.
6. The relief valve gets a discharge line run to an approved spot.
7. If your home has a pressure regulator or a check valve, an expansion tank is added to absorb the pressure the heater builds as it heats.
8. The heater is filled, lit and tested, and left ready for the city inspection.

Tankless water heaters

A tankless heater fires only when you open a hot tap, so it doesn't run out partway through the third shower, and it hangs on a wall instead of taking up a corner of the garage. Switching from a tank isn't a straight swap, though.

• Gas supply. A whole-house gas tankless burner uses several times the gas of a typical tank heater at full fire. Many 1950s and 1960s Pomona homes have a gas line to the heater that's too small for that, and some need a larger line from the meter or a meter upgrade from SoCalGas.
• Venting. Tankless units need their own vent run, often out through a wall or the roof, and the old tank's flue usually can't be reused.
• Descaling. Hard water scales up the heat exchanger. Plan on descaling about once a year, and ask about a scale-reduction filter on the cold inlet.
• Condensate. High-efficiency condensing models produce acidic condensate that needs a drain.

Why water heaters wear out faster in older 909 homes

Hard water

Pomona's water comes from local groundwater wells blended with imported water, and it's hard. Mineral sediment builds up on the bottom of the tank, insulates the water from the burner, and makes the bottom of the tank run hotter than it should. That shortens tank life, and it's where the popping noise comes from.

Old connections

Houses from the 1950s and 1960s often still have short galvanized nipples or old flex connectors at the heater. They corrode, and they're a common source of slow leaks around the top of the tank.

Tight closets and garage corners

Older homes, including many around Lincoln Park, tucked the water heater into an interior closet or a cramped corner. A replacement has to meet current code for combustion air, venting and clearances, which can mean extra work beyond setting a new tank.

No expansion tank

A home with a pressure regulator and no expansion tank puts extra stress on the tank and the relief valve every time the heater runs. If your relief valve drips now and then, that may be why.