No Hot Water in La Vernia or San Antonio? Quick Checks First

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Cold at every faucet means the heater (the "boiler," as many folks here say) has stopped: no fuel, no power, failed ignition or a safety lockout. Lukewarm means it runs but falls short. One cold shower beside a hot kitchen tap points to that fixture. Try the checks below; if they don't solve it, call 24 Hour Plumber San Antonio.

Smell gas or propane? Leave the building first. Don't flip switches or light anything. Once you're outside, call 911 or your gas utility's emergency line (CPS Energy in San Antonio), or your propane supplier if your home runs on propane. Then call us.

Lukewarm, or cold in just one spot?

Lukewarm, or hot that soon fades: a dial turned down or left on Vacation, a dead lower element, heavy sediment, a broken dip tube, a scaled tankless unit, or cold crossover at a worn single-handle valve.
One shower or sink: the heater is fine; suspect that fixture's valve, often a worn or scaled cartridge or a low-set anti-scald stop (see shower repairs).
One end of the house after a hard freeze: a hot line in an outside wall or attic may still be frozen; see frozen pipes.

To test for crossover, close the cold valve feeding the heater and open a hot tap. Dwindling flow is normal; strong flow means cold is getting in.

Gas and propane tank heaters

Control: knob on On, not Pilot or Vacation, and the dial above its lowest mark.
Flame: look through the window at the base; newer controls blink a status light that the label decodes.
Gas: the heater's shutoff is open when its handle runs parallel to the pipe. If the stove won't light either, the supply is off upstream; leave the meter alone and call your gas utility or propane supplier.
Relight once, with no gas odor, by the label's steps. A pilot that dies when you release the button suggests a worn thermocouple; an electronic model that clicks without lighting points to the igniter or flame sensor.
Locked out: many newer gas tanks have a flammable-vapor safety cutoff; if it trips or the status light shows a lockout code, call a technician. See water heater repair.

Propane homes: check the tank first

On acreage around La Vernia, Stockdale and Floresville, many heaters burn propane, and an empty tank mimics a broken heater. Lift the tank's dome and read the gauge; its 5-to-95 numbers are the percent of gas left. If the range won't light either, it's supply, not the heater.

The Railroad Commission of Texas says to order gas when the gauge reads under 20 percent.
After a run-dry, the Railroad Commission requires the propane company to leak-test your piping before refilling.
Found the tank's shutoff closed? Don't reopen it; call your supplier.

Never blame a propane smell on a low tank; it can mean a serious leak. The tank, regulator and refills are your supplier's job; the heater is ours.

Electric tank: breaker, reset and elements

Most electric tanks run on 240 volts, so keep the breaker off whenever a cover is open.

Breaker: if the heater's double breaker has tripped, switch it fully off, then on, once. If it trips again, leave it off.
Reset: power off, upper cover and insulation aside, press the red button above the thermostat, refit both, restore power.
Reset trips again: a thermostat is stuck on or an element has shorted.

The CPSC says most electric heaters have two thermostats set to one temperature, and urges 120 degrees Fahrenheit. A dead upper element means no hot water; a dead lower one gives a short burst that turns tepid.

Tankless: error codes, flow and scale

Code: look up the code or blink pattern in the manual. Cutting power at the plug or breaker for a minute may clear a one-time fault; a returning code needs repair.
Power and gas: gas and propane units still need electricity for the fan and igniter, so check the plug, GFCI and breaker, then the gas valve or propane tank. Going cold whenever the range runs too suggests an undersized gas supply (see tankless gas lines).
Flow: the burner needs a minimum flow, so a barely open tap or plugged inlet screen keeps it off.

Hard water is the usual culprit: limestone minerals from the aquifers bake onto a tankless heat exchanger, so temperatures swing, flow weakens and overheat codes appear; descaling clears it. On a well, sand can also plug the inlet screen (see hard water and softeners).

Repair or replace?

A single failed part on a dry tank (thermocouple, igniter, element, thermostat, gas control) is usually worth fixing. Replace when the tank body seeps or rusts through (see leaking from the bottom), or an aging tank needs a major part. We price both; you decide.

Within La Vernia's city limits, any gas or electric heater swap needs a city permit. In San Antonio, swapping in an identical heater at the same spot usually qualifies for a Limited Service and Repair permit; going tankless or changing size means a general plumbing permit with city inspections. The plumber doing the work pulls the permit (see water heater replacement).

Ways to save: a $0 dispatch fee if we go ahead with the repair or replacement, $150 off a new water heater installation, $50 off for first-time customers, and 10% off for seniors, military, first responders and healthcare workers (terms on the coupons page).

No hot water: common questions

Is a cold water heater an emergency?

Not usually. With nothing leaking and no gas smell, we book the repair at a time that suits you. If the tank is pouring water you can't shut off, call at any hour and we send our on-call plumber right away. Smell gas or propane? Leave first, touch no switches, and call 911 from outside, then us.

Will CPS Energy light my water heater pilot?

Yes, for a fee CPS Energy offers help lighting and adjusting pilots on natural gas water heaters, unless the equipment is faulty or caked with dust; the owner has to fix that first.

My propane tank ran out. Can I relight the heater myself?

Get the refill and leak test first. The Railroad Commission also suggests a trained technician light pilots. If the heater still won't run, call us.

How often should a tankless heater be descaled?

Follow the manual's schedule; on hard water, sooner if temperatures start swinging or overheat codes appear.

Still no hot water? Call us

When you call, tell us the fuel, tank or tankless, any display code, and whether every tap is cold. From our shop on US-87 in La Vernia we serve St. Hedwig, Adkins, Seguin, Schertz, Cibolo, east San Antonio and the rest of the city.