With routine maintenance, a hot water heater will give you many years of hassle-free service. Check the system every so often; making sure to take a glance at the burner and thermostat. With regular maintenance and checkups, particularly during the heating season, you can correct simple problems with the hot water heater that’s not operating correctly or is not distributing heat. Here are some problems you may come across with your hot water heater and some solutions to those problems.
| Problem | Possible Cause | Solution |
| No Hot Water | No power | Check master switch, circuit breaker or fuse. |
| Closed fuel supply valve | Open the inlet valve to the oil or gas. | |
| Dirty thermostat | Cleanout or replace old thermostat. | |
| Cold Convector or Radiator | Trapped air | Bleed out the convector or radiator. |
| Leaking Inlet Calve Stem | Worn out stem packing | Drain water in the water heater below level of valve and replace packing as for a faucet, once water heater is refill then bleed convector or radiator. |
| Leaking Circulating Pump | Faulty seal or impeller | Replace seal or impeller* |
| Noisy Circulating Pump | Broken coupling | Replace coupling* |
| Water Dribbling from Relief Valve | Too much water in expansion tank | Drain expansion tank from the water heater to restore proper air-water ratio. |
*This is recommended to be done by a professional.