Water Heater Repair in Raton, NM
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Long cold winters put extra load on your water heater here
Raton homes need heat from September through May, nine months a year, and winter nights average 17°F from December through February. That kind of cold for that much of the year means your water heater's burner or heating element is running longer and more often just to keep up. Over time that extra run time wears on the burner assembly and igniter in a gas unit, or the heating element and thermostat in an electric one.
Colfax County has logged 129 winter storms and 157 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and across New Mexico, 13% of households lost power for 24 hours or more in 2024. A power outage stops an electric water heater cold, and a gas unit with an electric igniter will not light without power either. If that happens to you, you will notice it as water that will not get hot at all, not just water that is slower to warm up.
- 17°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 9 months
- September through May, the months homes here need heat
- 13%
- of New Mexico households lost power for a day or more in 2024, and a heater with an electric element or electric ignition stops without it
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new water heater would cut about $50 a year off hot water for a typical New Mexico home.
Estimates for a typical New Mexico home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and New Mexico fuel prices. Your home will differ.
Repair makes sense when an element, thermostat or gas valve has failed.
Replacement makes sense when the tank itself is leaking.
- Why is my water heater leaking from the bottom?
- Most often it's the tank itself failing from the inside out. Water heaters rust from the inside as the glass lining wears through, and once the steel tank underneath starts to go, it will weep and then leak from the bottom or the seams. A leak can also come from the drain valve or from fittings above the tank running down the side, so it's worth checking those first since they can sometimes be tightened or replaced. If the tank itself is leaking, it needs to be replaced, not repaired.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- A pilot that won't stay lit is usually the thermocouple, the small sensor that tells the gas valve the pilot is burning. When it wears out or sits out of position, it reads no flame even when one is there, and the valve shuts the gas off. A weak or drafty pilot flame can cause the same thing, and so can a gas valve that's failing. A contractor can test the thermocouple's reading in seconds and tell you which one it is.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most tankless water heater problems are repairs, not replacements. The heat exchanger, igniter, flow sensor, and venting are the parts that usually cause trouble, and each can be tested and replaced on its own. Hard water buildup inside the heat exchanger is a common cause of reduced hot water or error codes, and flushing the unit often solves it. If the heat exchanger itself has cracked or corroded, that's the point where replacement makes more sense than repair.