When the hot water stops, a few quick answers tell a pro where to look, so this page starts with the symptom and works toward the cause. If water is spreading, close the cold valve above the heater if it's safe to reach; if you smell gas, leave first, then phone the gas utility (or propane supplier) and 911.
No hot water? Start here
- Is the hot water gone at every tap, or only at one?
- Is there water on the floor or running down the tank?
- Does the heater run on gas, electricity or propane?
- Is anything else in the house on the same fuel, and is it working?
Note the answers and call. The burner, the panel and the controls are for the pro.
Reedley homes and heaters
Reedley was incorporated as a city on February 18, 1913, and is named for Thomas Law Reed, who made a deal in 1888 with the railroad to develop the townsite. This page covers ZIP code 93654.
Locally in Reedley, homes range from older houses and bungalows to newer subdivisions, manufactured homes and farm properties, some on private wells. Heaters sit in garages, exterior closets, porches, utility rooms and compartments, mostly gas or electric, with propane on outlying properties.
What the symptom usually means here
No hot water at any tap usually means the heater has stopped: a pilot or burner, an element or a tripped control. Lukewarm water suggests a part wearing out, and hot water that runs out early suggests sediment or a split dip tube. A wet floor around the tank is a leak, and a leak comes first.
Where heaters sit here
Most heaters stand in a garage, which suits them. Older houses often keep one in an exterior closet reached from outside or on an enclosed porch, and manufactured homes use a compartment.
Leave it uncapped; call a pro.
Rumbling tanks: sediment and the burner
A rumble, a pop or a rattle comes from water trapped under a layer of sediment and boiling up through it. The layer sits between the flame or element and the water, so the heater works harder to heat the same amount and the steel beneath gets hotter than it should. The noise is the sound of that effort.
Often it is a sign of age, and sometimes of the water. Where minerals are heavy the layer grows faster, and on a well, sand adds to it. A burner that is sooty or noisy points to another cause altogether, and a technician should look at it. A rumble that appears suddenly on a young tank can mean a failed part.
The pro will look at the tank floor and the anode rod, and say whether a flush is worth doing or whether the tank is near its end. Tell them when the noise began, whether it comes with a loss of hot water and whether the heater has ever been flushed. Those clues narrow the cause quickly, and they help the pro decide whether to repair the heater or plan its replacement.
Works in a roomy garage.
Flushing: what it achieves and what it can't undo
It helps to think of a flush as one tool with a narrow job. It can clear loose sediment, restore some lost capacity, calm a rumble and show the pro what is inside the tank. Those are real gains, and on a young or middle-aged tank they can be worth having every so often.
It cannot dissolve scale that has fused to the floor or an element. It cannot undo rust, mend a leak or make an old tank young. And on a tank that has never been drained, opening the valve can start a leak that was held in place by the sediment. That is why the pro looks first.
Ask what the flush showed and what it means for the heater's future. Water that comes out clear suggests the tank is in good shape. Flakes of rust suggest a replacement is near. The interval depends on the water, so ask for a date for the next one, and keep it with the heater's details, so the record travels with the house.
Well water and the water heater in Reedley
Properties outside town often draw from a private well, and four things come with it. Sand and grit settle in the tank. Dissolved minerals crust the elements and the tank floor. The pressure tank on the line makes the pressure swing. And a sulfur smell can show up in the hot water, as the anode rod reacts with it.
Each has a fix. A sediment filter ahead of the heater catches the grit, a more frequent flush clears what gets through and a technician can check the pressure and suggest an expansion tank if the relief valve discharges. For the smell, the pro can inspect the rod and discuss another kind.
Tell the pro what you have: the well, the pressure tank, any filter or softener and how old each is. Ask what the heater will need in the way of a bypass and a service schedule, and who looks after the filter. The whole system matters, not only the tank, and a note of each part's age helps the pro advise on the order in which things should be looked at.
Strapping in Reedley
For homes in Reedley, every California installation anchors the tank with straps or a bracing kit. For homes in Reedley, a full heater is a tall, heavy object, and its gas, water and vent connections are the first thing to go if it shifts. It's part of every Reedley replacement.
Bare studs in a garage wall take the straps directly. An exterior closet is strapped to the framing behind its stucco and not to the surface, a porch enclosure may need a board across the studs and a manufactured-home compartment has its own framing. Around Reedley, larger new tanks need new straps, and flexible connectors complete the setup, so the connections move with the heater.
An existing heater can be braced where it stands, and slack straps are tightened at a visit. A strap that holds only drywall or stucco is moved to solid wood. For homes in Reedley, a tankless unit hangs from its wall bracket, and the fixings are chosen to suit the wall.
Repair or replace
A failed part on a young, sound tank is usually worth repairing. Water from the tank body is not. Ask for both routes priced side by side.
Reedley ZIP code
ZIP codes served: 93654
Nearby areas with their own pages include Dinuba, Parlier, Orange Cove, Kingsburg and Orosi. See every city on the Central Valley page.
Popular services in Reedley
Reedley water heater FAQs
A drip means the valve has opened, or no longer seals. Heat and pressure rise inside the tank as it heats, and a closed plumbing system can't absorb the extra. Never cap the valve or try to test it yourself. A technician can find the cause and fit an expansion tank or a new valve.
A full tank is tall and heavy, and if the ground moves it can tip and tear out the gas, water and vent lines. Straps hold it to the wall studs. The installer confirms the details for your address, and checks that the connectors are flexible.
Not a good idea. Fuel, paint, solvents and cleaning products give off vapors, and a gas burner or a spark can ignite them. Stored items also block air and the technician's access. Keep a clear zone around the heater and use a shelf elsewhere.
It can, though that is unusual in the valley. A hard cold snap can reach pipes and fittings that sit outdoors or in an unheated space, and an outdoor tankless unit. Insulation on exposed lines and a sheltered spot help. Ask the installer what you need.
In most homes, yes, with care. The garage gives space, access and a floor that takes a leak. Summer heat and vehicle knocks are the risks, so a clear zone, a guard and ventilation matter. Flammables go elsewhere. The installer checks the vent path and the air supply.
It can take more arranging when a property is far from a pro's base, and no one can promise a time before they know where you are. Give the address and the route, and say whether water is spreading. A plan made before a failure leaves you less exposed to a wait.
Yes, with a model made for outdoor use. It has a weatherproof case and its own exhaust, so it needs no indoor vent, but it still wants gas or a circuit, water lines and a solid wall. Ask how the installer protects the lines and the connections from the weather.
Yes. We connect callers with independent pros across the 93654 ZIP code, from the older streets to the newer homes and the farms beyond. Dinuba, Parlier and Orange Cove each have their own pages on this site, as do Kingsburg and Orosi.