Water heater repair in Hammond, IN

Hammond Water Works and the lake

Unlike many Calumet Region suburbs, Hammond does not buy water from a neighbor. Hammond Water Works draws surface water from Lake Michigan and runs it through its own filtration plant along the shoreline. Back in the 1990s the department changed its filters over to granular activated carbon to deal with the musty taste the lake can carry in late summer, and more recent upgrades focused on keeping the plant powered through storms. Hammond in turn supplies water to Munster and Highland, so a good share of north Lake County drinks from the same intake.

This end of the lake produces water most labs would call moderately hard, commonly 7 to 9 grains per gallon. In practice a Hammond tank collects a few inches of tan grit over its life, more if the thermostat sits near the top of its dial. The season matters even more. When January winds push ice against the shoreline, the water arriving at a Hessville basement can be close to freezing, and a tank has to lift it more than 80 degrees before anyone feels warm.

Mill-era neighborhoods and their basements

Hammond grew up around packing houses, rail shops and the Whiting refinery, and the oldest housing shows it. North Hammond, the blocks around downtown on Hohman Avenue, and Robertsdale near the Chicago line are full of narrow frame cottages, workers' houses and two-flats from the early 1900s. Farther south, Hessville and Woodmar filled in between the 1920s and the 1950s with brick bungalows, Cape Cods and small ranches that sit close together on modest lots.

Nearly every one of those houses has a basement, and that is where the water heater ends up, usually wedged between the furnace, a laundry sink and a support post. Ceilings are low, stairs are steep, and plenty of basements stay damp from spring to fall. Two-flats in North Hammond and Robertsdale may have a pair of heaters side by side, or a single old tank expected to cover both floors. Galvanized pipe, old gate valves and the occasional lead service line are still found in some of these basements, and plumbers handle them carefully because they tend to crack or leak the moment they are moved.

The problems plumbers see most in Hammond

• Rusted-out tank bottoms in basements that sweat all summer and rarely dry out.
• Weak draft on brick chimneys once a new furnace stops sharing the flue with the water heater.
• January shortages in Hessville and Woodmar bungalows still running a 30- or 40-gallon tank.
• Sewer backups during cloudbursts near the Little Calumet. For a tank that is already dripping, start with our guide to leaks.
• Pilots that will not stay lit on tanks old enough to remember the 2000s. The usual suspects are listed on this pilot and gas valve page.
• Brittle galvanized nipples and valves that snap or weep when a plumber puts a wrench on them.

Typical water heater prices in Hammond

Labor in Lake County, Indiana usually costs somewhat less than in the Cook County suburbs a few blocks west. Hammond jobs climb when the basement stair is tight, the tank sits in standing water, the chimney needs a liner, or old galvanized fittings have to be cut out and replaced.

Indiana licensing and Hammond permits

Plumbing licenses in Indiana are issued by the Plumbing Commission under the state's Professional Licensing Agency, and Hammond does not let anyone touch plumbing inside city limits without one. The PLA's online search shows whether a license is active.

Locally, the Building Division of Hammond's Inspections Department, based at City Hall on Calumet Avenue, handles permits and inspections. Contractors must also be registered with the city, with liability insurance and a bond on file, before they can pull a permit. Plumbing permit fees are figured by the number of fixtures and connections. Ask whoever quotes your replacement to confirm the permit is part of the job and that an inspection will follow.

NIPSCO gas and the fuel question

NIPSCO delivers both natural gas and electricity in Hammond, so a single utility sits behind whichever kind of heater you choose. Gas has generally been the cheaper way to make hot water in the Region, which is why the vast majority of Hammond basements hold a gas tank. NIPSCO has offered efficiency programs at times.

A heat pump water heater is possible in a large, dry Hammond basement, but a damp, chilly basement makes it work harder and the unit adds to the chill. Tankless gas heaters free up floor space, yet in a 1920s bungalow they often require a bigger gas line from the meter and a new vent through a brick or block wall. For most households here, a well-installed power-vent or standard gas tank is the sensible middle ground.

Lake-effect snow and Little Calumet floods

Northwest Indiana catches some of the heaviest lake-effect bands on Lake Michigan when cold air sweeps down from the north. During those stretches a Hammond water heater may cycle almost without rest, and tired thermocouples, gas valves and burners tend to give out right in the middle of a cold spell. Basements with old glass block or loose windows can drop close to freezing along the outside wall, which threatens the supply line feeding the tank. Foam sleeves on exposed pipe and some weatherstripping go a long way.

Water from below is the other hazard. In September 2008, days of heavy rain pushed the Little Calumet River over its levees in parts of Lake County, flooding basements in Hammond and nearby towns. Levee work along the river has reduced that risk since, but intense summer storms still back up sewers in older neighborhoods. A gas heater whose burner or controls went underwater needs those parts replaced, and often the whole heater, before it runs again.

Venting in older Hammond homes

Many Hammond basements still have the chimney that once vented a coal furnace or a later oil burner. When a homeowner upgrades to a condensing furnace with PVC out the side wall, the water heater is suddenly the only appliance using that big masonry flue. Its small, cool exhaust struggles to rise, moisture condenses inside, and mortar and tile start to crumble. A liner sized to the water heater, or a power-vent tank exhausting through the rim joist, solves it. Because these houses are small and tightly packed, a working carbon monoxide alarm in the basement and near the bedrooms is cheap protection.

Repair or replace in Hammond

Damp basements cut tank life here, and nine to twelve years is a fair expectation for a Hammond gas heater. A tank still in that window with a failed pilot assembly, thermocouple or gas valve is worth repairing. One that is rusting through at the base, leaking from the jacket, or simply too small for the family should be replaced, and any chimney or venting problem should be corrected in the same visit rather than left for later.

Around Hammond

Whiting and East Chicago each pump their own Lake Michigan water and run separate building departments. Munster and Highland to the south drink Hammond water but issue their own permits. Across State Line Road, Calumet City and Lansing fall under Illinois licensing and village permit rules, which differ from Indiana's. A Hammond plumber who works both sides of the line will know which set of rules applies to your address.

Water heater questions from Hammond