Water Heater Repair and Replacement in Altamonte Springs, FL

What settles repair or replacement

The heater's age. The rating label on the tank carries a serial number, and most makers code the manufacture year and month or week into it. A heater in its first decade is usually worth a repair; one deep into its second decade rarely is, because the tank itself is near the end.

The state of the tank. Water seeping from the tank body or bottom seam, rust at the base or rusty hot water with clear cold water all mean the steel is failing. Parts can be replaced; a rusted tank can't.

The part that failed. Elements, thermostats, the relief valve, the drain valve and the connectors are all ordinary repairs. The same part failing twice in a short time is a sign the heater's condition, often sediment, is the underlying problem.

How well it suited the home. A heater that was running short before it failed will run short again once repaired, so a breakdown is a fair moment to ask whether the size or type still fits.

Water heater repair and replacement in Altamonte Springs

Washington Kilmer of Cincinnati settled here around 1870 and named the area Altamont, after a place near his childhood home in New York. In 1882 a group of Boston and Massachusetts investors formed the Altamonte Land, Hotel and Navigation Company, bought land on the shores of Lakes Adelaide and Orienta, and built a hotel that opened only for the winter season; a horse-drawn tram carried guests from the railroad station. The name Altamonte Springs came with them. Residents voted 38 to 7 to incorporate on November 11, 1920. Today Cranes Roost Park, named for the sandhill cranes that gathered at its low-lying lake, sits at the city's center, and two ZIP codes, 32701 and 32714, are home to about 56,400 people.

Two decades built most of the city. By Census count, about 34% of homes in the 1970s and 33% in the 1980s, with 12% from the 1990s, 9% from the 1960s, 7% from the 2000s and around 5% older. Single-family houses keep the heater in an attached garage or a laundry room. Apartments, condominiums and townhomes, a large share of the housing here, keep it in a hall or utility closet, often beside the air handler. Nearly every heater here is electric.

Fewer than 1% of homes are seasonal, according to Census data, so nearly every heater works every day. Homes are on a public water supply, whose minerals settle in a tank as sediment over the years.

With two in three homes from the 1970s and 1980s, most Altamonte Springs heaters are the third or fourth in their spot, and many are old enough that the repair-or-replace question below comes up at every breakdown. In closets, a leak also reaches finished floors, and often a neighbor, quickly, which is why a pan with a working outlet and a shutoff valve that turns freely matter so much here.

Service in Altamonte Springs covers ZIP codes 32701 and 32714.

When a repair is the right call

A single failed element or thermostat on a heater in its first decade, with a dry tank and clear hot water, is a straightforward repair that usually returns years of service. So is a leaking drain valve or a corroded connector. In Altamonte Springs, a relief valve that drips right after the heater runs often points to pressure building in a closed plumbing system, where heated water has nowhere to expand; an expansion tank on the cold line usually cures it, and the valve itself may be fine. The technician explains the fault and prices the repair before any work starts. See water heater repair.

When it's time to replace

Replace when the tank is leaking, rusting or turning the hot water brown, or when a heater well into its second decade starts needing parts one after another. In a closet apartment or condo, age matters more than in a garage, because a tank that fails there can soak carpet, walls and the unit below before anyone notices. Watch for rust at the base, louder rumbling and hot water that runs short sooner. A planned replacement leaves time to consider size, a heat pump unit or a slimmer closet tank. The technician prices repair and replacement side by side where both are possible. Details are in water heater replacement.

Heat pump units and their condensate

For a garage heater in one of the city's houses, a heat pump unit is worth pricing at replacement. It draws warmth from the surrounding air, uses much less electricity than a standard electric tank, and a warm garage suits it. As it works, it also cools and dries the air, and moisture collects on its coil. That water runs through a condensate line to a floor drain, to the outside or into a small pump. If the line clogs with algae or the pump fails, water pools around the base and looks like a leaking tank. The installer plans the drain route and space according to the manufacturer's requirements. Details are in heat pump water heater installation.

Flushing: what it does and doesn't do

Minerals in the water supply settle to the bottom of an electric tank as sediment, where they bury the lower element, make the heater rumble and take up space that should hold hot water. A technician's flush sends fresh water through the tank to carry loose sediment out through the drain valve, and on a heater that has been flushed regularly from early in its life, it keeps the element clear and the tank quieter. What a flush can't do is undo years of neglect. On an older tank, sediment may have hardened into a layer that won't move, and stirring it can leave the drain valve weeping. That's why starting early matters most. Read more at water heater flushing and maintenance.

A rotten-egg smell from the hot tap

If the hot water smells of rotten eggs and the cold doesn't, the cause is commonly associated with sulfate in the water reacting with the tank's anode rod, and it tends to be strongest after the water has stood. Flushing the lines by running hot water for a while generally helps. If it keeps coming back, a technician confirms the cause on site and usually fits a less reactive or powered anode, sometimes with a flush. Removing the anode entirely is never the fix, because the tank then rusts through far sooner. Details are in rotten-egg smell in hot water.

Water heater services in Altamonte Springs

• Expansion Tank Installation
• Heat Pump Water Heater Installation
• Flushing and Maintenance
• Noisy Water Heater and Sediment
• Rotten-Egg Smell in Hot Water

Altamonte Springs water heater questions

How can I tell how old my water heater is?

Find the rating label on the tank. The serial number on it usually hides the manufacture year and month or week, in a pattern that differs between makers. Take a photo of the label or read the number out when you call, and the technician can work out the date before arriving.

How often do heating elements need replacing?

There's no set schedule. An element can last many years, but sediment and scale make it run hot and fail sooner, and one switched on without water around it burns out almost at once. If elements keep failing on the same heater, sediment in the tank is the likely reason.

Why does my tankless heater run hot then cold?

Usually scale in the heat exchanger, a flow too low for the unit to stay lit or running, or more taps open than it can handle. Some units also pause briefly before firing again. A technician can descale it and check that it's sized for the way your household uses water.

How noisy is a heat pump water heater?

It hums steadily from its fan and compressor while running, much like a dehumidifier. In a garage, you'll rarely hear it indoors. If the only spot for it shares a wall with a bedroom, mention that when you call so the installer can plan the placement.

Why is there water around my heat pump water heater?

Often it's condensate, not a leak. The unit makes water as it dries the air, and a clogged line or failed pump sends it onto the floor. If the tank or its fittings are wet instead, it's a leak. A technician can tell which and fix the cause.

Why are most Florida water heaters electric?

Natural gas reaches far fewer Florida homes than in most states, so electric tanks became the standard in houses, apartments and condos. That makes elements, thermostats and electrical faults the repairs we see most, along with the wear that minerals in the water cause over time.

Our condo heater is in a hall closet. What should we check?

Look at the floor and the base of the tank for damp or rust, and make sure there's a pan with an outlet under it. Find the shutoff valve on the cold pipe and check that it turns. If the heater is past fifteen years, plan its replacement.

Do you cover all of Altamonte Springs?

Yes. We cover both ZIP codes, 32701 and 32714, from the older streets around the lakes to the apartments, condos and neighborhoods off State Road 436 and Interstate 4. Give us your address when you phone, and we'll pass the job to a local pro.

Nearby communities

We also cover Maitland, Longwood, Winter Park and the rest of Central Florida.

• Maitland
• Casselberry
• Longwood
• Winter Park
• Lake Mary