Water Heater Repair in Fort Smith, AR
Tell us what your water heater is doing, and a licensed contractor who covers Sebastian County will get in touch.
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What winter here does to your water heater
From November through April your water heater works harder, pulling in groundwater that's colder than it is the rest of the year and holding a higher temperature for six months straight. On nights that average 31°F, a unit in a garage or unconditioned space loses heat faster, so the burner or element cycles more just to keep up. That extra cycling wears on the thermostat and the heating element in an electric unit, or the thermocouple and burner assembly in a gas one.
Sebastian County has seen 122 damaging wind events and 10 winter storms over the past ten years, and storms like these knock out power. Across Arkansas, close to a quarter of households lost power for 24 hours or more in 2024. When power drops, an electric water heater goes cold and needs time to recover once it's back, and a tank left without power in a cold space can lose enough heat that the next shower runs short.
- 31°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 6 months
- November through April, the months homes here need heat
- 24%
- of Arkansas households lost power for a day or more in 2024, and a heater with an electric element or electric ignition stops without it
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new water heater would cut about $290 a year off hot water for a typical Arkansas home.
Estimates for a typical Arkansas home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and Arkansas fuel prices. Your home will differ.
Repair makes sense when an element, thermostat or gas valve has failed.
Replacement makes sense when the tank itself is leaking.
- Why is my water heater leaking from the bottom?
- Most of the time it means the tank itself has rusted through, and that means the tank needs to be replaced, not patched. Sediment builds up at the bottom of the tank over years, and it eats away at the steel from the inside until a pinhole opens up. It can also be a loose drain valve or a fitting that's failed, and those are worth checking before you assume the worst. A contractor can tell you in a few minutes which one you're dealing with.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- Usually the thermocouple has worn out and stopped sensing the flame, so the gas valve shuts off as a safety measure. It can also mean a draft is blowing the pilot out, or the pilot orifice is clogged with dirt. A standing pilot doesn't use any power at all, so a power outage isn't the cause here. If relighting it keeps failing the same way, the thermocouple is the part that most likely needs to be replaced.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless unit are repairable. Mineral buildup on the heat exchanger is the most common issue, and it shows up as hot water that runs lukewarm or cuts in and out. Igniters, flow sensors, and venting problems can also be fixed without replacing the whole unit. A licensed contractor can flush the system or replace the failed part once they've seen what's actually going wrong.