Water Heaters
Find help with hot water and heater replacement.
Explore replacement cost, repair decisions, and system choices for your home’s hot water.
Explore water heater guides
Help with the current problem or the next replacement.
Water Heater Not Heating
Identify the pattern and prepare useful information for service.
Find the next stepCare and replacement options
Care for or replace your water heater.
Check the current system before choosing the next task.
System choices
Compare tank and tankless water heaters.
Compare delivery capacity, installation, and daily use before choosing the next system.
Browse all water heater guides
A problem today
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Water heater basics & common questions
What do you need to solve?
Compare complete installation quotes.
Separate a fixable fault from a replacement decision.
Start with the symptom and safe observations.
Match delivery capacity to household demand.
If your current heater still works, record its model, fuel, capacity and installation location before comparing replacements. If it has stopped working, describe the symptom first. “No hot water” does not identify which component has failed.
Separate the tank from the heat source.
Keeps a reserve of heated water ready for use.
Fuel, tank capacity and first-hour rating.
Usually a storage system that draws heat from surrounding air.
Installation space, air temperature, drainage and operating mode.
Heats incoming water as it flows through the unit.
Available flow at the required temperature rise.
Tank versus tankless is one decision; gas versus electric is another. A heat pump water heater belongs in the storage comparison, even though its heating method differs from a conventional electric tank.
Make a useful record of the current setup.
Keep the model and serial number, capacity and fuel information together. Share those details with the contractor, not a guess based on the cabinet size.
List showers and appliances that run together. Note whether the problem is no hot water, a short supply, or a long wait at a distant tap.
Photograph the accessible installation area without opening equipment. Note stairs, access, nearby drainage and any planned relocation.
Ask for a like-for-like quote and, if useful, one clearly scoped alternative. Compare the same included work, not just appliance prices.
An urgent fault changes the first step.
For active water leakage, keep away from wet electrical equipment and request prompt service. Do not remove covers, bypass a safety device or cap a relief discharge to keep the heater running. Tenants should contact their building manager for shared or inaccessible systems.
Common starting questions.
Should I replace a heater just because it is old?
Age helps with planning, but condition, diagnosis, warranty coverage, repair scope and your future needs belong in the decision too. Start with the repair-or-replace guide.
Will a larger heater fix a slow hot-water tap?
A larger heater does not by itself remove the cold water sitting in a long pipe. Separate delivery delay from a shortage of heated water.
Does this cover pool water heating?
Pool heating is a separate application. Use the Pool Heater guides for swimming season, heat loss and recovery decisions.
Sources and product instructions
The references below support the technical checks in this guide. Use the instructions for your exact product or local conditions when they differ from a general example.
Choose your next step.
Image credits
All water-heater, inspection, comparison and budgeting images on this page are AI-generated illustrations created for Field52. They are not installation references or photographs of Field52 staff.