Fix the water heater you have, or replace it?

Chosen when: Do you smell gas near the heater: Yes, or I am not sure

If you smell gas, leave now. From a safe place call 911, then your gas utility: the DTE gas leak hotline is (800) 947-5000 and Consumers Energy is 800-477-5050. Do not look for the leak, and do not use switches, phones or flames inside. Do not go back until responders or the utility say it is safe. (800) 477-4747, which is often posted as a gas number, is DTE's electric line.

Emergency plumber

Chosen when: What is it doing: Water around or under the tank

Water coming from the tank body, not from a pipe or valve, points to the tank itself, which a part will not fix. Switch off the heater, shut the water supply to it, and ask a plumber to confirm where the water is coming from before you pay for parts. A replacement needs a permit in Michigan: the state exempts only repairs to the working parts of a faucet or valve and the clearing of stoppages. For a gas heater, LARA's mechanical FAQ says the job needs a mechanical license class and a plumbing contractor license, with a mechanical and a plumbing permit; confirm that with LARA.

Water heater replacement · Water heater replacement permits in Michigan: what the state text says

Chosen when: What is it doing: Water dripping from the relief valve pipe

The relief valve is a safety device, and its discharge pipe is a code item. Under the 2021 International Plumbing Code that Michigan adopts, as summarised by the ICC, the discharge pipe ends in an air gap in the same room and must not connect directly to a drain. Water from it can mean the valve is doing its job or has failed. Either way a plumber should look at it, and replacing the valve is a good moment to check the tank's age.

Water heater repair · Water heater pilot light won't stay lit: causes, and who should relight it

Chosen when: What is it doing: The pilot keeps going out (gas); Gas or electric: Gas

DTE's gas safety page says to contact a licensed professional if the pilot flame of an appliance goes out, and that the professional should relight it. The visit is also where venting gets checked, which matters more than the part. If the heater is also inside or past the Department of Energy's range, ask for the replacement price on the same visit.

Water heater repair · Water heater pilot light won't stay lit: causes, and who should relight it

Chosen when: What is it doing: The pilot keeps going out (gas)

An electric or tankless unit has no pilot to go out. If it is an electric tank with no hot water, the diagnosis is a different one and the plumber or an electrician will look at the elements and power supply. Who does which job is not something we have a Michigan source for, so ask your building department who it wants on the permit for anything beyond a repair.

Water heater repair

Chosen when: How old is the heater: Over 15 years

The Department of Energy puts a storage tank water heater at roughly 10 to 15 years and a tankless unit at about 20, as read in a search summary and not on its own page. Past that range, ask for the repair price and the replacement price on the same visit. Michigan plumbing rules mean a replacement needs a permit, and your city sets the fee: Grand Rapids lists $21 for a water heater on top of a $52 application, Sterling Heights $40 plus $55, Flint $15 plus a $95 base fee, and Dearborn $15 per hot water tank with a $180 minimum. For any other city, ask the building office for its current fee.

Water heater replacement · Water heater lifespan: what the Department of Energy says and what it leaves out

Chosen when: How old is the heater: 10 to 15 years

You are inside the range the Department of Energy gives for a storage tank (again from a search summary). Nothing we have read from Michigan sets a cut-off, so this is a price comparison rather than a rule. Ask the plumber for the repair price and a replacement price. If the repair is a small part, repair. If it is most of the cost of a new heater, replace. If it is an electric tank, ask about a heat pump water heater: ENERGY STAR figures show a household of two saving about $300 a year against a standard electric tank. Rebates exist but publish no dollar amounts, and the federal credit ended for installs after December 31, 2025, according to the IRS.

Water heater replacement · Tankless or tank water heater in Michigan: what the federal data says

Chosen when: Any other answers

A heater inside the Department of Energy's range for a storage tank is often worth a repair price if the fault is a single part: an element, a thermostat, a valve. If you do not know the age, ask the plumber to read it off the label. Ask for the diagnosis first and the price second, and ask who will pull the permit if the job turns into a replacement.

Water heater repair · Water heater lifespan: what the Department of Energy says and what it leaves out