Should I repair or replace my water heater?
The short answer: repair if the unit is under 8 years old and the failed part is replaceable. Replace if the tank itself is leaking — that’s not repairable — or if the unit is past 10 years and the repair costs a meaningful fraction of a new one.
Start with the age
The manufacture date is coded into the serial number on the data plate (most brands put the year in the first 2–4 characters — we can decode it over the phone). A standard tank in Sonoma County lasts 8–12 years. Everything about the repair-or-replace question keys off where your unit sits in that window.
The symptom that ends the debate
Water seeping from under the tank jacket — not from a fitting or valve on top, but from the tank body itself — means the inner tank has corroded through. No repair exists for that. Shut off the cold-water inlet and the gas valve or breaker, and plan the replacement on your schedule instead of the tank’s.
Repairs that are usually worth it
Thermocouples, igniters, gas control valves, heating elements, thermostats, anode rods, and relief valves are all replaceable parts. On a heater under 8 years old, these repairs typically make clear financial sense — you’re buying back years of remaining tank life for a fraction of replacement cost.
When replacement is the honest answer
Past year 10, the math shifts. A major repair on an old tank buys you months-to-years on a vessel that’s already near the end — and California code requires a replacement to come up to current standards (two seismic straps, proper venting, expansion tank where regulators or check valves exist), so there’s real value in doing it once, deliberately.
What we’ll tell you on a service call
What failed, what caused it, the age of your unit, and both paths with real numbers. If repair wins, we repair it. We don’t carry a quota for new water heaters.
Still not sure what you're looking at?
Call (707) 228-4595 and describe it — we'll tell you what it probably is and whether it needs a visit.
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