When a Mesa water heater quits heating, runs out fast or starts to drip, the cause is often one part such as an element, thermostat, igniter or gas valve, and a plumber can usually tell in a single visit whether a fix makes sense. A tank that leaks through its own wall has to be replaced instead. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Mesa.
Symptoms worth a service call
- No hot water at all, or water that only gets warm
- Showers going cold much sooner than they used to
- Popping or rumbling each time the burner or element kicks on
- Moisture under the tank or crusty rust at the top fittings
- A steady drip from the relief valve discharge pipe
- A tripped breaker on an electric unit, or a gas pilot that keeps going out
Water heaters and Mesa conditions
Mesa water is hard. The city's water quality report puts average hardness at about 12 grains per gallon in the City Zone and about 16 grains per gallon in the Eastern and Southern Zones. Minerals at those levels drop out as the water heats, so tanks gather sediment on the bottom and electric elements grow a crust that makes them run hotter and fail sooner. Which zone you are in depends on your address, and the report explains the zones.
Gas is unusual here. The City of Mesa runs its own natural gas utility across most of the city, and Southwest Gas serves the remaining areas. Mesa also requires the serving gas utility to be notified before a gas appliance is placed in service. If you ever smell gas near the heater, get everyone outside first, then call 911 and City of Mesa gas at 480-644-4277; homes in the Southwest Gas portion should call 911 and Southwest Gas at 877-860-6020.
On permits, Mesa Development Services says a like-for-like gas or electric water heater replacement of equal or lesser rating needs no permit, while converting a storage gas heater to a tankless gas unit does. Ordinary repairs such as a new thermostat or element don't change the setup at all. Census figures put Mesa's median home at about 1988, so many houses are on a second or third heater; the tank's label date matters more than the house's.
What drives the price
- Which part failed: an element or thermostat costs less than a gas control valve
- How much scale has to be cleared before new parts go in
- Where the heater sits, since attic and tight closet installs take longer
- Seized drain valves or corroded connections found along the way
- Evening or weekend timing
What happens when you call
The call connects you with an independent plumber who works in Mesa. Say whether the heater is gas or electric, roughly how old it is and what you are seeing. The plumber can then talk through whether a repair is likely and when a visit can be set up.
Water Heater Repair questions in Mesa
How hard is the water here, and what does it do to a water heater?
What should I do if I smell gas near the water heater?
Do I need a permit for water heater work here?
Why would an electric water heater suddenly stop heating?
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