Before you spend on a service call, spend five minutes on these seven checks. If you can resolve it yourself, great — and if not, you'll be able to give us much better information when you call.
Safety first — two lines you do not cross
Do NOT open up a gas water heater's burner compartment or try to relight a pilot if you smell gas. Do NOT open an electric water heater's element access panels without shutting off the breaker. Past those limits, here are the checks a homeowner can safely do.
1. Is the breaker tripped? (Electric units)
Go to your main panel. Find the double-pole breaker labeled "Water Heater" (usually 30 amp). If it's tripped — flipped partway between ON and OFF, or fully to OFF — flip it fully off, then fully back on. If it trips again within minutes, stop and call. A repeatedly tripping breaker means a shorted element or bad thermostat and it needs a licensed technician.
2. Is the pilot out? (Older gas units)
Many 2010-and-older gas units have a standing pilot. Look through the viewing window near the gas valve — if you don't see a flame, the pilot is out. Newer units have electronic ignition and no visible pilot. Re-lighting is covered in the sticker on your unit, but if it won't stay lit, the thermocouple is likely failing.
3. Has the thermostat been bumped?
The dial on the front of a gas unit or behind the access panel on an electric unit is often at "Hot" (around 120°F). If someone set it too low, you won't get hot water at the tap — especially at the farthest fixture. Turn it up one notch and wait 20-30 minutes.
4. Are you out of gas?
If your stove doesn't work either, your gas supply is the issue, not the water heater. Check with OG&E or your gas provider.
5. Is cold water leaking into the hot supply?
If your hot water is lukewarm everywhere, even right after a full standby cycle, a failed check valve or mixing valve might be letting cold water short-cut into the hot line. Feel the pipes coming into and out of the water heater — hot in, cool out is a bad sign.
6. Did the high-limit switch trip? (Electric)
If the water got too hot, an ECO (energy cut-off) safety switch will trip and shut off both heating elements. You can press the red reset button on the upper thermostat access panel, but if it trips again within a day, stop using it and call — a stuck thermostat that's overheating is a safety concern.
7. How old is the unit?
Check the manufacturer sticker. If it's over 10 years old and it just stopped working, the odds favor replacement over repair. Age + failure = replace, almost always, in our experience across thousands of OKC-area jobs.
Red-line issues — call right away, don't troubleshoot
- Water pooling around the base of the tank (tank has failed)
- Smell of gas near the unit
- Repeated breaker trips within minutes
- Rust-colored hot water suddenly (tank interior failing)
- Burn marks or soot around the burner compartment (venting issue)
For everything else, call (405) 656-7895 — we answer 24/7 and most repairs are completed same-day with parts on the truck.