Water Heater Repair and Installation in Norcross, GA

Whether you still have hot water during an outage depends almost entirely on the kind of heater in the house. Afterward, some heaters restart on their own and some need help, and a heater that will not come back is a common reason for water heater repair. Knowing your type ahead of time makes a Norcross outage easier to ride out.

Which heater do you have?

A flue pipe on top and a gas line with a control knob near the bottom mean a gas tank; a small fan housing on top marks a power-vent model. A tank with a power cable but no flue is electric. A cabinet on the wall with pipes underneath and no tank is tankless. When a heater of any type will not restart, the details are under gas water heaters in Norcross, electric water heater repair and tankless water heater service.

During and after a power outage

• Gas tank with a standing pilot: usually keeps heating, since its controls need no household power.
• Gas tank with electronic ignition or a power vent: stops until power returns.
• Electric tank: stops heating, but a full tank stays warm for hours if little hot water is used.
• Tankless, gas or electric: stops; gas models need power for their fan, ignition and controls.

Most electric tanks and tankless units resume on their own when power returns. If an electric tank stays cold, check its breaker; a surge can also trip the high-limit switch behind the upper panel, which should be reset only with the breaker off. A gas heater with electronic ignition normally relights itself, and a tankless unit showing an error code may need the restart steps in its manual. A portable generator belongs outdoors, well away from doors and windows.

After a gas service interruption

If the gas utility shuts off service, or the meter is turned off for work, the pilot or burner goes out. When service is restored, the utility will often relight pilots or explain how it should be done. A standing pilot can be relit by following the instructions on the heater's label, provided there is no smell of gas. If the pilot will not stay lit, or an electronic-ignition model refuses to restart, stop and call rather than trying again and again.

Gas smells, leaks and wet controls

Never relight anything if you smell gas; leave the house and call the gas utility or 911 from outside. If storm water reached the heater's burner, controls or wiring, do not restart it until it has been checked. If the tank has started leaking, shut the cold-water inlet valve, and if water is spreading, emergency plumbing in Norcross can help.

Permits and inspections in Norcross

The city's Building Official reviews plans, issues building permits and inspects plumbing and fuel gas work, along with heating and air conditioning, inside the city. If an outage reveals a heater that needs replacing, a gas model touches both plumbing and fuel gas, so ask the office about permits before work begins. If a replacement is due, water heater repair and installation in Georgia explains each type.

Questions about outages and water heaters in Norcross

How long will an electric tank keep water hot without power?

A well-insulated tank loses heat slowly, so the water can stay usefully warm for many hours, sometimes longer, as long as little hot water is drawn. Every shower brings in cold water that is not reheated, though, so the supply drops quickly with use. During a long outage, save the hot water for essentials.

Why won't my gas water heater relight after the gas came back on?

Air left in the line after service is restored can make a pilot slow to light, which the lighting instructions allow for. A pilot that lights but goes out when the knob is released usually points to a worn thermocouple, and electronic-ignition models may lock out after failed attempts until reset as the manual describes. If it still will not light, have it checked.

Heater not back after an outage?

Call Alpha Plumbing and Sewer at (404) 409-4448 and tell us what type of heater you have and what it is doing.