No Hot Water in January

When a 14-year-old 40-gallon gas water heater fails in January in Michigan, it's not an inconvenience — it's a crisis. A Southgate family of five called us at 7 A.M. on a day when the temperature outside was 9 degrees.

The tank had developed a pinhole leak at the bottom — a sign of internal corrosion that had been building for years. Once a tank starts leaking from the base, it cannot be repaired. It has to go.

We had a 50-gallon Bradford White power vent unit on the truck. By 11:30 A.M., the old tank was out, the new one was in, and the family had hot water. We also replaced the corroded flex connectors and installed a new expansion tank to bring the system up to current code.

A few things to know about water heater lifespan: the average tank water heater lasts 8 to 12 years. If yours is over 10 years old, it's not a question of if it will fail — it's when. A planned replacement on your schedule is always cheaper and less disruptive than an emergency replacement on the heater's schedule.

We stock the most common residential water heater sizes on our trucks. Same-day replacement is available across all 7 Plumb-O-Matic locations.