Water heaters
Water Heater Repair & Replacement
First question: is the tank yours? Plenty of Ontario houses rent the water heater, and the rental company services what it owns.
Look at the side of the tank before you call anybody. A rented water heater carries a sticker with the owner’s name and phone number, and in Ontario plenty of houses rent theirs. If the tank is rented, the rental company is the right first call and the repair is normally part of the agreement. Collingwood Plumbers will say that on the phone.
When the water heater is yours
An owned tank is ordinary plumbing. The common faults are simple to name: no hot water, not enough hot water, water around the base, a rumble when it heats, or a smell from the hot side only.
| What you see | Most likely cause | Usual fix |
|---|---|---|
| No hot water at all | Pilot, burner, igniter or element | Repair the part |
| Hot water runs out fast | Failed element, or sediment in the tank | Element, or flush |
| Water at the base | Relief valve, fitting, or the tank itself | Valve or fitting; a leaking tank is replaced |
| Rumbling when heating | Sediment on the bottom of the tank | Flush, then watch it |
| Smell from hot taps only | Reaction at the anode rod | Anode replacement |
Well water and town water treat a tank differently
Collingwood’s town water is drawn from Nottawasaga Bay and filtered through membranes. Wasaga Beach’s town water comes from wells, and the town adds sodium silicate to hold the iron in solution. A private well outside Creemore or Meaford brings whatever the aquifer holds. Sediment and anode wear follow the water, so the same tank ages differently in each house. The well and town water guide explains the difference.
Water heater replacement: tank or tankless
A tank is simple and familiar. A tankless unit saves space and heats on demand, but it needs the right gas supply or electrical service and the right venting, and on hard or iron-bearing well water it needs regular descaling. Collingwood Plumbers sizes it to the house, not to the brochure.
A water heater in a house closed for winter
A tank in an unheated cottage must be drained before the freeze, with the power or gas off first. Refilling it before switching it back on matters just as much: an electric element run dry burns out in seconds.
FAQ
Water heaters — common questions
How do I know if my water heater is rented?
Look for a sticker on the tank with a company name and phone number, and check your gas or utility bill for a monthly rental charge. If either is there, the tank is rented and the owner services it.
Is a leaking water heater an emergency?
A drip from the relief valve or a fitting can often be fixed. Water coming from the tank itself means the tank has failed. Close the cold supply to the tank, switch off the power or set the gas to pilot, and arrange a replacement.
How long does a water heater last here?
It depends on the tank, the water and the maintenance, so no honest single number applies. Sediment and anode wear are the two things that shorten it, and both depend on whether the house is on bay water, town wells or a private well.
Talk to a Collingwood plumber
Collingwood Plumbers needs three things: the town, whether the house is on town water or a private well, and what the water is doing. Those three decide most of the job, from who you should actually call, to whether the fix is a valve, a pump or a pipe.