Water heater repair · Conway, SC
Water Heater Repair in Conway, SC: No Hot Water, Leaks and Tank Failures
A water heater that quits, leaks or runs lukewarm is usually one failed part or one failed tank, and the symptoms tell you which. Here is how Conway homeowners can sort the two, and what happens when you call.
Match the symptom to the likely cause
Most water heater calls start with one of a handful of symptoms. Reading them correctly saves a visit that ends in the wrong repair.
No hot water at all
On a gas unit this is often a pilot that will not stay lit, a failing thermocouple or a tripped safety shutoff. On an electric unit it is a tripped breaker, a failed upper heating element or a thermostat that has stopped calling for heat.
Hot water that runs out fast or never gets hot
Short supply usually means a failed lower element on an electric tank, or sediment built up at the bottom of a gas tank that smothers the burner. Lukewarm water at every tap points at the heater. Lukewarm water at a single faucet points at that faucet's cartridge, which is a faucet and sink help job rather than a heater problem.
Rumbling, popping or rusty water
Rumbling comes from sediment and trapped steam. Rust-colored hot water, with clear cold water, means the tank interior is corroding. That is the sign a repair will not hold.
Water on the floor
A puddle can come from a loose fitting, a dripping temperature and pressure valve or a failed tank. Fittings and valves are repairable. A tank that is leaking through its shell is not, and it needs to be replaced.
Gas water heater repair: pilot, burner and venting
Gas tanks fail in a short list of ways. A thermocouple that has worn out will shut the gas off the moment the pilot flickers, which is why a unit relights and then drops out again an hour later. A gas control valve can fail while everything else is fine. A burner clogged with sediment or dust burns with a lazy, yellow flame and takes far longer to recover. The vent matters as much as the burner: a blocked or loose flue lets combustion gases back into the room.
If you smell gas at any point, leave the building and call Dominion Energy South Carolina at 800-815-0083 and 911 from outside, before you call any plumber. Do not try to relight the unit. Work on the gas supply itself falls under a separate trade license, which is covered on the gas line work.
Electric water heater repair: elements and thermostats
Electric tanks heat with two elements, one near the top and one near the bottom, each controlled by its own thermostat. When the upper element fails, there is no hot water. When the lower one fails, the tank empties quickly and refills slowly. Both can be tested with a meter and replaced without removing the tank. A tripped high-limit reset or a breaker that keeps tripping is a warning that a shorted element or a wiring fault needs attention before anything is reset again.
Switch off the breaker before touching any access panel. Water and household current do not mix, and the tank stays full of hot water for hours after the power goes off.
Water heater acting up and not sure why? Call (833) 571-0120 with the make, the age and the symptom, and we will say whether a repair is likely.
A leaking tank in a Conway garage or utility room
Conway sees about 55 inches of rain a year and a high water table through the winter and spring, and many tanks sit in garages or exterior closets where a slow leak can run for days before anyone notices. Where the leak is at a drain valve, a supply fitting or the relief valve, it is repairable. Where water seeps from the jacket or the bottom of the tank, the steel liner has failed and replacement is the answer.
The Waccamaw River at Conway stood above its 11 foot flood stage for about four weeks after Hurricane Florence in 2018, and local reports found that most damaged properties were in the low-risk Zone X. After any flood, a water heater that was touched by water or sat in standing water should be checked before it is used again, because the burner, controls and insulation can all be compromised. In a mapped flood hazard area, the City of Conway's floodplain guidance calls for water heaters to sit at least two feet above the projected flood elevation, so a replacement is the time to move the unit up. Construction Services at 843-488-9888 can confirm what applies to your lot.
Repair or replace: a practical way to decide
Age is the first filter. Standard tank heaters commonly last somewhere around eight to twelve years, so a unit in that range with a leaking tank, rust in the hot water or repeated element failures is rarely worth another repair. A relatively young tank with a bad thermocouple, thermostat or element is the opposite case and repairs well.
If the answer is replacement, you can stay with the same type of tank or look at a tankless water heater, which changes the gas, venting and electrical requirements. The tank heater installation explains how a replacement is sized and set.
What a water heater visit involves
The first step is a short conversation: the make and approximate age of the unit, what it was doing when it failed and what you have already tried. From that we can say whether a repair is likely and what the diagnosis involves. On site, the plumber checks the fuel or power supply, the safety devices and the tank condition before quoting. You get a written explanation of the finding and the options before any part is ordered or replaced.
Ask for the failed part back if you want to see it. That is a normal request.
Checking the plumber and the permit
South Carolina requires a license for residential plumbing work over $500, and the state licensing board has a public lookup at verify.llronline.com. Whether a particular repair or replacement needs a permit depends on your address, and neither the City of Conway nor Horry County names water heaters specifically in the guidance we reviewed, so confirm with the building office. Inside the city that is Construction Services at 843-488-9888, and in unincorporated Horry County it is Code Enforcement at 843-915-5090.
Where we repair water heaters around Conway
Calls come from the city and the neighborhoods around it, including plumbing in Wild Wing Plantation, plumber in Aquila Estates and plumber in Tiger Grand, and from towns such as plumber in Socastee and plumbing in Red Hill. The full list is on the areas we serve. If a leak is already damaging floors or walls, the water removal and drying covers the next step, and leak tracing helps when you suspect water is escaping somewhere you cannot see.
Water heater down? Tell us what it is doing
Call and describe the symptom, the age of the unit and whether there is water on the floor. We will say whether repair makes sense and what happens next.