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WATER FORCEPlumbing · Tacoma, WACall
Licensed · Bonded · Insured

Water heater repair in Tacoma. Replacement when the tank is done.

No hot water, a tank sweating at the bottom, a pilot that will not stay lit. Gas and electric. The person who comes out is the licensed contractor, and the first question on site is whether a part failed or the tank did.

Call (425) 615-3904

Water Force Plumbing LLC · WA L&I WATERFP745DR · Plumbing Contractor, residential.

Scope

What this work covers

  • No hot water: element, thermostat, thermocouple or gas valve diagnosed and replaced
  • Leak found at its source: a fitting, the relief valve, the drain valve or the tank itself
  • Tank replacement, gas and electric
  • Anode rod and expansion tank service
  • Code items on a replacement: seismic straps, drain pan, shutoff valve
  • Old unit hauled away

Tell us what needs fixing

Prepare a text message, then send it from your messaging app. For an active leak, call (425) 615-3904.

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(425) 615-3904

Repair or replace

Part or tank? That question decides the bill.

Many water heater problems are a part. The tank itself fails one way, and that way is easy to see once you know where to look.

cold inhot outdischargepipelabel
1 supply fittings on top, 2 relief valve and its discharge pipe, 3 drain valve: usually a part. 4 water from the bottom or under the jacket: the tank.
Usually a repair
  • No hot water on an electric heater: a heating element or a thermostat.
  • A pilot that will not stay lit on a gas heater: the thermocouple or the gas valve.
  • Water on top of the tank: a supply fitting or the relief valve, and the line to it.
  • A drip from the relief valve pipe: the valve, or pressure building in the system. An expansion tank fixes the second.
  • A drip at the drain valve near the floor: the valve.
Usually a replacement
  • Water from the bottom of the tank or from under the jacket: the tank has rusted through, and no part fixes that.
  • Rust-colored hot water while the cold runs clear: the inside of the tank is going.
  • A repair that costs more than the tank is worth, on a unit well past its warranty.

The label on the tank has the model, the capacity and the date of manufacture. Read it out when you call; it decides what needs to be on the truck.

Replacement

A replacement done to Washington code

A replacement is more than the tank. The items below are part of the job, because an inspector looks for them and because each one prevents the next call.

  • Two seismic straps anchored to the framing, so the tank stays put in a quake.
  • A drain pan with a drain line where a leak would run into finished space.
  • A working shutoff valve on the cold side, so the next problem does not mean shutting off the whole house.
  • An expansion tank where the house has a closed system: a backflow preventer or a pressure-reducing valve at the meter.
  • On gas: a sediment trap on the gas line, a gas-rated connector and a sound vent connection.
  • A permit. Washington's plumbing code requires one for a water heater replacement. Tacoma and Puyallup issue their own inside city limits, and Pierce County covers unincorporated addresses. Where a permit is required, it is a separate item on the quote.

Before you call

What helps before the visit

  1. 1

    Close the cold-water valve on top of the heater. If it will not turn, or there is none, close the main shutoff for the house.

  2. 2

    Electric heater: switch off its breaker at the panel. An element that keeps heating an emptying tank burns out.

  3. 3

    Gas heater: turn the control knob to Off. If you smell gas anywhere in the house, leave and call the gas utility before you call anyone else.

  4. 4

    Photograph the label and the space around the heater. Model, capacity and venting decide the replacement, and the photo saves a second trip.

Questions

Water heater questions, answered before the visit

Should I repair or replace my water heater?

Repair when a part failed and the tank is sound: elements, thermostats, thermocouples, gas valves, relief and drain valves, supply fittings. Replace when the tank leaks from the body or a seam, because a rusted-through tank has no repairable part. Age by itself says plan ahead. A leak from the tank body says replace.

My water heater is leaking. Where is the water coming from?

Look at where the water first appears. Top of the tank: usually a supply fitting or the relief valve. A pipe running down the side that drips at the end: the relief valve discharge, which points to the valve or to pressure in the system. Bottom, from under the jacket: the tank itself, which means replacement. Dry the area, wait, and look again before you call: where it shows up first says which part.

Do I need a permit to replace a water heater in Tacoma or Pierce County?

Yes. Washington's plumbing code requires a permit for a water heater replacement. Tacoma and Puyallup issue their own inside city limits, and Pierce County covers unincorporated addresses. Where a permit is required, it is a separate item on the quote.

Can you replace a gas water heater?

Yes, gas and electric. On gas, the replacement includes the sediment trap on the gas line, a gas-rated connector and the vent connection, along with the straps, the pan where required and the shutoff valve that every replacement gets.

Why does my hot water run out faster than it used to?

Sediment, most often. It settles at the bottom of the tank and takes up the space the water used to fill, and on a gas heater it also insulates the burner from the water. Flushing helps while the tank is sound. On an electric heater, a failed lower element gives the same symptom: hot water that runs out in one shower.

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