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Water heater answers for your home.
Explore questions about conventional and heat-pump water heaters, from hot-water concerns to care and replacement.
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75 answers
Safety and urgent help
Water heaters
A water-heater leak is coming through the ceiling near lights. What should I do first?
Water heaters
My water heater has burned-looking insulation and no hot water. What comes first?
Water heaters
What should I do about scorch marks near my water-heater exhaust?
Water heaters
Is household descaler safe inside a drinking-water heater?
Water heaters
How should I manage a leaking old heater while waiting for replacement?
Water heaters
Can I restart a new water heater after a breaker trip and possible wire burns?
Water heaters
What should I do with an outdoor tankless heater during a freezing power outage?
Water heaters
How should a drained tankless heater be restarted after power returns?
Heat-pump water heaters
Can I leave backup-element wires unconnected to reduce electrical demand?
Heat-pump water heaters
Why does my generator overload when it powers only the heat-pump water heater?
Costs, quotes and choosing help
Water heaters
My water-heater replacement quote seems very high. How should I compare it?
Heat-pump water heaters
How do I find an installer who understands heat-pump water heaters?
Design, installation and home fit
Water heaters
Why am I being offered a commercial water heater for my home?
Water heaters
How does high altitude affect propane tankless selection?
Water heaters
What replacement fits a crawl space too short for a standard water-heater tank?
Water heaters
Why do tankless installers disagree about needing a bigger gas line?
Water heaters
Who handles water damage after a water-heater leak, and who replaces the heater?
Heat-pump water heaters
Can heat-pump water-heater exhaust go into an attic or near soffit vents?
Heat-pump water heaters
Is a garage that drops below freezing a workable heat-pump water-heater location?
Heat-pump water heaters
How should a Denver water-heater replacement fit a planned solar installation?
Heat-pump water heaters
Will cold incoming water reduce heat-pump hot-water delivery in Denver?
Heat-pump water heaters
What changes when my crawl space loses warmth from its old gas furnace?
Heat-pump water heaters
Can a heat-pump water heater get enough air in a narrow dirt niche?
Heat-pump water heaters
How should I size a new water heater when a tenant will increase hot-water use?
Heat-pump water heaters
Why would a 120-volt heat-pump water heater need a panel upgrade?
Heat-pump water heaters
What temporary electrical supply can I use before the panel upgrade?
Heat-pump water heaters
Why does the supply look different from my heater's single-phase wiring diagram?
Heat-pump water heaters
How do I prevent gaps between the plumber, electrician, and room contractor?
Heat-pump water heaters
Does filter access leave enough room to service the fan or motor?
Heat-pump water heaters
Is four-hour recovery after a short shower normal?
Diagnosis and repair
Water heaters
Why have my water heaters needed repeated replacement over eight years?
Water heaters
Can I trust a normal status light when my water-heater flame looks wrong?
Water heaters
Why is my electric water heater lukewarm when its breaker has not tripped?
Water heaters
Why does my new electric heater make warm water and trip its breaker?
Water heaters
Why did replacing an element fail to fix my heater's lukewarm water?
Water heaters
Why does my water heater overheat and need resetting after a repair?
Water heaters
Why does turning up my new heater not make the tap water hotter?
Water heaters
Why did my tankless hot-water flow slow again just weeks after descaling?
Heat-pump water heaters
Why is my new heat-pump water heater alarming and spilling water from its side?
Heat-pump water heaters
What if the heat-pump section fails but electric mode still heats water?
Heat-pump water heaters
Why does my heat-pump water heater work again only after a power reset?
Leaks, odors and noise
Water heaters
Why is the relief valve dripping again days after replacement?
Water heaters
Why does hot water still smell like rotten eggs after several anode replacements?
Water heaters
How can I tell whether hot-water odor comes from the heater or the well?
Water heaters
Why does my water heater still pop after its yearly flush?
Water heaters
Does water near the drain valve mean my tank has failed?
Water heaters
Why is my new water heater leaking at the drain-valve threads?
Water heaters
Why does the drain pan fill when the cup below the valve stays dry?
Water heaters
Why is water leaking near both the heating element and drain?
Heat-pump water heaters
Will a heat-pump water heater disturb nearby bedrooms?
Heat-pump water heaters
Could my heat-pump water heater’s outside condensate line freeze?
Heat-pump water heaters
Why does my heat-pump water heater ask me to clean the condensate line every few weeks?
Controls and operation
Water heaters
Why does my gas water-heater pilot keep going out?
Water heaters
Why did my electric water heater stop heating after a thermostat adjustment?
Heat-pump water heaters
Why does my water heater wait for a schedule change before reheating?
Care and maintenance
Water heaters
Can removing the anode to stop an odor create another problem?
Water heaters
Should an older water heater that has never been flushed be flushed now?
Water heaters
How can my tankless heater be maintained without service valves?
Water heaters
How often should my tankless water heater be descaled?
Water heaters
Can a dirty tankless air filter cause a startup error?
Heat-pump water heaters
Can workshop dust affect a garage heat-pump water heater?
Heat-pump water heaters
Does hard well water change heat-pump water-heater maintenance or life?
Heat-pump water heaters
Is filter cleaning the only care a heat-pump water heater needs?
Heat-pump water heaters
Why does the dirty-filter warning return mainly in summer?
Comfort and hot-water delivery
Water heaters
Why does my tankless water turn cold when I barely open the tap?
Water heaters
Why does my new tankless heater alternate between hot and cold?
Heat-pump water heaters
Should I choose a larger tank when switching to a heat-pump water heater?
Heat-pump water heaters
Will a heat-pump water heater make my finished basement uncomfortable?
Heat-pump water heaters
Will moving my water heater farther away make hot-water waits worse?
Heat-pump water heaters
How long will a 120-volt heater take to provide a shower after a long outage?
Incentives, permits and warranties
Water heaters
Why does a home warranty cover the tank but leave large replacement charges?
Heat-pump water heaters
Why can I still pay labor when a heat-pump water heater fails under warranty?
Heat-pump water heaters
How do I check whether an online Colorado water-heater rebate claim applies now?
Energy use and bills
Heat-pump water heaters
Does a heat-pump water heater add to my home’s winter heating use?
Air quality, filtration and humidity
Heat-pump water heaters
Will a heat-pump water heater lower basement humidity enough to help?
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