4.7 from 1,179 Google reviews
Water heaters are where unnecessary replacements get sold, because the customer can't easily check. A long, public, unfiltered review record is the most useful protection you have, and ours covers thousands of jobs.
24/7 Emergency Service
Water heater repair and replacement in Tampa
Some of these are a part. Some are a new unit. We'll tell you which one you've got.
Water heating is one of the biggest energy loads in a house, around 17 percent of household energy use according to the US Department of Energy. It's also the appliance most likely to fail quietly for months before it fails loudly.
The first question with any water heater is always the same: is this a repair or is this a replacement? A heating element is a part. A tank that has corroded through is not repairable by anyone, at any price, and should be replaced rather than patched.
If it's leaking from the body of the tank, turn it off now. Power or gas first, then the cold supply into the unit. A tank leak doesn't get better and a full tank emptying into a cupboard does real damage.
What the symptom usually means
| Symptom | Common cause | Repair or replace |
|---|---|---|
| No hot water at all, electric | Failed element, thermostat or tripped reset | Usually repair |
| No hot water at all, gas | Pilot, thermocouple or gas control valve | Usually repair |
| Runs out quickly | Sediment, one failed element, or undersized unit | Often repair |
| Rusty or brown hot water | Spent anode rod, or tank corroding internally | Could be either |
| Rumbling or popping | Sediment layer on the tank floor | Flush, then reassess |
| Water around the base | Fitting, valve, or the tank itself | Fitting is a repair, tank is a replacement |
| Relief valve discharging | Pressure or temperature fault | Repair, and find out why |
When replacement is the honest answer
- The tank itself is leaking. This isn't repairable. Anyone telling you otherwise is selling you a delay.
- The unit is past its expected life and the repair is a significant fraction of a new unit.
- Repeated failures on the same unit inside a year.
- It never met the household's demand in the first place, in which case repairing it preserves the problem.
And when it isn't. A failed element, a thermocouple, a thermostat or a sediment flush are all repairs, and we'd rather do the repair than sell you a tank you didn't need.
Tank or tankless, honestly
| Tank | Tankless | |
|---|---|---|
| Up front cost | Lower | Higher, more so if gas or electrical work is needed |
| Running cost | Higher, it keeps a tank hot | Lower, it heats on demand |
| Hot water supply | Finite, then recovery time | Continuous, within its flow rate |
| Space | Takes a cupboard or garage corner | Wall mounted, compact |
| Maintenance | Flush, check anode | Descaling, important in hard water |
| Best suited to | Straight swaps, steady demand, lower budget | High or uneven demand, long term ownership |
Tankless isn't automatically the upgrade. On a straight like for like swap in a house with steady demand, a good tank unit is often the better value, and we'll say so.
Hard water in Tampa
This is the local factor that shortens water heater life here more than anything else. Tampa's water carries significant mineral content, and that mineral drops out as scale on the bottom of a tank and inside the heat exchanger of a tankless unit. Scale insulates the burner or element from the water, so the unit works harder, runs longer and wears out sooner. It's also what causes the rumbling and popping people describe.
Two practical consequences. First, flushing a tank matters more here than in soft water areas, and skipping it is a real cost rather than a theoretical one. Second, if you install a tankless unit in Tampa and never descale it, you'll shorten its life substantially. And if you're seeing scale on taps and shower screens as well as inside the heater, the water itself is the problem and treating it at the point of entry solves all of those at once.
Why homeowners call us
1,179 2 24/7
Three reasons, with the evidence
Gas, electric and the lines that feed them
Florida plumbing license CFC1425985 covers the water side and the gas line work a replacement often needs. One company for the unit, the connections and the venting.
A leaking tank doesn't wait
A tank leaking into a garage or cupboard is actively doing damage. Our line is staffed every hour of every day, so you can at least get talked through isolating it immediately.
Reviews
What Tampa customers say
4.7 out of 5 across 1,179 Google reviews. These are real reviews from our Google Business Profile.
★★★★★
I needed to have the water heater in my house replaced urgently. I called TB Plumbers, and they dispatched a tech (Jason) immediately. He gave me a quote, which was reasonable. TB Plumbers (David) improved on their initial quote, and I went with them. Jason did a superb job with the replacement.Mark Mekki
★★★★★
Denis and Roland were a pleasure to work with. We had a detailed plan and restrictions we needed to work within for our project. They were able to complete everything that was asked of them, in a timely manner and at a great price! Definitely would recommend for your plumbing needs.Kyle Scannell
★★★★★
We had to replace our main water line on rather quick notice, which was no easy feat with a 300 plus stretch of various tree roots, sprinkler lines, and pool lines in the way. Tampa Bay Plumbers, Mike Benson and crew did a fantastic job of avoiding breaking all obstacles and laying a new line quickly and professionally.Gina Shannon
Questions
Frequently asked questions
My water heater is leaking. Can it be repaired?
It depends where from. A leaking fitting, valve or connection is a repair. A leak from the body of the tank itself is not repairable, because the steel has corroded through. In that case the unit needs replacing, and we'd rather tell you that than sell you a patch.
How long should a water heater last?
It varies with the unit, how it was installed and how hard the water is. Tampa's hard water shortens the life of both tanks and tankless units when they're never flushed or descaled. We'll give you an honest view of where yours is rather than a number from a brochure.
Why does my hot water run out so quickly?
Usually sediment taking up volume in the bottom of the tank, one of two elements having failed on an electric unit, or a tank that was always too small for the household. The first two are repairs.
Is tankless worth it?
Sometimes. It makes most sense with high or uneven demand and long term ownership, where the lower running cost has time to repay the higher install cost. On a straight swap with steady demand, a good tank unit is often better value. We'll tell you which your situation is.
What's the brown water coming out of my hot tap?
Usually a spent anode rod, which is the sacrificial part that corrodes so the tank doesn't. Replacing it is a repair. If the tank itself has started corroding, brown water is a late warning rather than an early one, so it's worth looking at promptly.
Do I really need to flush it?
In Tampa, yes. Hard water leaves scale on the tank floor that insulates the element or burner from the water, making the unit work harder and fail sooner. Flushing is cheap maintenance that measurably extends life here.
Related
Other work we take on
Tankless Water Heaters
Installation, descaling and repair of on demand units.
Learn moreWater Softeners
Dealing with the hard water that shortens heater life.
Learn moreGas Line Services
Gas line work for heaters, ranges and outdoor appliances.
Learn moreAbout Tampa Bay Plumbers or see every service and area we cover.
No hot water? Call now
Tell us the age of the unit, whether it's gas or electric, and what it's doing. That usually narrows it to one or two things.
(727) 626-0889Open 24 hours, 7 days, 365 days a year