No Hot Water
Cold water from every tap, hot water at one faucet but not the next, or a tank that runs out halfway through a shower. Here is what causes each in Tacoma-area homes, what you can safely check, and how we get the hot water back.
Why Is There No Hot Water in My House?
Usually because the heater has stopped heating: a gas burner or pilot that will not light, a tripped breaker or a failed element on an electric tank, or a tankless unit that will not fire. When only one faucet runs cold, the heater may be fine, and the problem is that faucet or the flow through it.
In Fircrest this August, James came out to descale a homeowner’s tankless water heater. He circulated a descaling solution through the unit and flushed it clean, but when he tested the hot side at the kitchen sink, the heater still would not fire, because the flow from that faucet was too low for the tankless to recognize. James removed the flow restrictor from the faucet’s hot side, and the kitchen sink ran hot again before he left the heater in service.
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What Causes No Hot Water
The causes we find, by the type of heater, roughly in the order we check them.
A Gas Burner or Pilot That Will Not Light
On a gas tank, a pilot that goes out, a worn thermocouple or flame sensor, a failed gas control valve or a gas supply that was shut off can each leave the tank cold. A power-vent heater also stops when its fan or pressure switch fails.
A Tripped Breaker or a Failed Element
An electric tank has its own breaker, a high-limit reset and usually two heating elements. A breaker that trips again after one reset, or an element that has burned out, leaves the tank lukewarm or cold.
A Tankless Unit That Will Not Fire
A tankless heater lights only when enough water is moving through it. Scale in the heat exchanger, a clogged inlet filter or a low-flow faucet like the Fircrest kitchen sink can keep it from firing, and most units show an error code that points to the cause.
A Heater Throwing Error Codes
In Tacoma’s West End last December, a tank water heater was throwing error codes. Jimmy recommended replacing its leak guard and explained that the installation had to be brought up to code before any repair to the tank itself.
A Tank at the End of Its Life
Sediment, a failed dip tube or a tank that is simply worn out leaves you with lukewarm water that runs out fast. When the tank body leaks, replacement is the answer, and our water heater page covers the options.
A Worn Faucet Cartridge or Mixing Valve
When one shower or faucet runs cold and the rest run hot, the heater is usually fine. A worn cartridge, a stuck mixing valve or a blocked aerator at that fixture is the more likely cause.
Where it happens tells you a lot. Every tap cold points to the heater; one tap cold points to that fixture; hot water that runs out fast points to the tank’s size, its elements or its sediment.
What You Can Safely Check
These checks take a few minutes and a flashlight, and none of them means taking anything apart.
Check More Than One Faucet
Run the hot water at a sink on each floor. If only one is cold, the heater is probably fine and that faucet or its valve is the problem.
Look at the Heater
Look for water around the base, a tripped breaker on an electric tank, or an error code on a tankless display, and write down any code you see.
Check the Gas and the Power
Make sure the gas valve to the heater is open, and that a power-vent or tankless unit is still plugged in and has power.
Relight Only by the Label
If your gas tank has a standing pilot and you are comfortable doing it, follow the lighting instructions on the tank’s label exactly. If it will not stay lit, stop and call us.
When to Stop
If you smell gas, do not touch any switches; leave the house and call PSE or 911 from outside. Do not reset an electric tank’s breaker more than once, and keep clear of a tank that is leaking from its body. Our gas line FAQ covers what to do when you smell gas.
How We Get the Hot Water Back
The fix follows the cause, and a heater only gets replaced when a repair is poor value.
Repair the Burner, Pilot or Gas Control
We test the gas supply, the pilot assembly and the control valve, and replace the part that failed.
Learn more →Replace Elements and Thermostats
On an electric tank we test each element and thermostat and replace the one that has failed.
Learn more →Descale and Service a Tankless Unit
We descale the heat exchanger, clean the inlet filter, read the error history and fix flow problems like the Fircrest faucet.
Learn more →Replace a Heater at the End of Its Life
When the tank leaks or a repair is poor value, we replace it, permitted and installed to code, at a price you approve first.
Learn more →Urgent Calls Around the Clock
We answer urgent calls around the clock, and a house with no hot water is scheduled ahead of routine work.
Learn more →Repairs, replacements and permits are on our water heater page, or browse all common problems.
Why Tacoma Homeowners Call Royal Flush
Veteran-Owned & Local
Family-operated out of Tacoma, serving Pierce and King County.
Upfront Pricing
You approve a clear price before any work starts. Estimates are free.
Licensed & Insured
Washington license #ROYALFP787R1, bonded and fully insured.
Fast Local Response
Urgent calls answered around the clock, from a crew based on Tacoma’s south side.
Flexible Payments Through Wisetack
Spread a larger repair over monthly payments, with no prepayment penalties and no hidden fees. VIP Home Protection members save 10% on every service.
No Hot Water Questions
Straight answers before you pick up the phone.
Because the heater is working and the problem is at that fixture. A worn cartridge or mixing valve, a clogged aerator, or, with a tankless heater, too little flow to make it fire can each leave one tap cold. In Fircrest this August, removing a kitchen faucet’s flow restrictor brought its hot water back.
It depends on the fuel and the size. A gas tank recovers faster than a standard electric tank of the same size, and a hybrid running in heat pump mode is slower still. If a tank never gets hot after a few hours, something has failed, and it is worth a call.
Don’t Gamble On Your Plumbing!
Veteran-owned, licensed and local. Call us or [request service](/quote) about a water heater that has gone cold anywhere in Tacoma and the South Sound, and we will say what we found before any work starts.