Make it safe
Identify the heater type, energy source, age, and capacity.
All guides
Greg’s field guide
Water Heating
Understand tanks, tankless units, recirculation, and common no-hot-water checks.
05
First, understand the job.
Water heaters combine pressure, heat, fuel or high voltage. Diagnosis is sensible DIY territory; some repairs are not.
Greg’s stop sign: Gas, combustion venting, and 240-volt electrical work can kill. When the safe boundary arrives, stop.
Step by step
Do it in this order.
Find the actual problem
Check the simplest causes first: breaker, pilot status, thermostat setting, and visible leaks.
Make the repair
Flush sediment only when the manufacturer procedure and valve condition allow it.
Test your work
Call a licensed professional for gas-train, combustion, venting, or tank-leak work.
One last check
Dry everything, run the fixture more than once, and look again in ten minutes. A tiny drip now becomes cabinet damage later.