Water heater repair in Baltimore, MD

Baltimore's reservoir water

Baltimore City's water system, which also serves much of Baltimore County and neighboring areas, draws from three reservoirs: Loch Raven and Prettyboy on the Gunpowder Falls, and Liberty on the North Branch of the Patapsco River. In dry periods the city can draw from the Susquehanna River. The water is treated at the Montebello and Ashburton plants.

Water from these Piedmont reservoirs is soft to moderately hard. Tanks build sediment slowly, and tankless units can usually go a year or more between descales. The bigger factors for Baltimore heaters are cold winter water, which arrives in the low 40s, and the age of the homes and venting around them.

Rowhouse basements

Baltimore has more rowhouses than almost any American city. In Canton, Fells Point, Federal Hill, Hampden, Highlandtown, Patterson Park and Remington, block after block of brick and formstone rowhouses sit over narrow basements, and the water heater usually stands in the back corner near the furnace. Stairs are steep, ceilings are low, and getting an old tank out and a new one in can take two people.

Larger homes in Roland Park, Guilford and Homeland have full basements with more room, and some have boilers with indirect water heaters. Many rowhouses have been rehabbed in recent decades, and those often have newer high-efficiency tanks or tankless units with sidewall venting.

Gas fitters, plumbers and permits

Maryland licenses plumbers and gas fitters separately through the State Board of Plumbing, so connecting a gas water heater requires a licensed gas fitter in addition to plumbing work by a licensed plumber. Many professionals hold both licenses. Baltimore City requires a permit for water heater replacement, issued through the city's housing and permitting office, with an inspection covering the gas connection, venting and relief valve discharge.

Ask for the plumber's and gas fitter's Maryland license numbers and whether the city permit is included. Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County and Howard County issue their own permits.

The problems plumbers see most in Baltimore

• Chimney venting problems in rowhouses after a furnace upgrade leaves the heater alone in an old flue.
• Tight basement access that turns a simple swap into a long job.
• Winter short supply when 40°F water meets a 40-gallon tank.
• Basement flooding from heavy storms reaching heater burners and controls.
• Corroded gas connectors in damp rowhouse basements.
• Thermocouple failures on older standing-pilot tanks.

Typical water heater prices in Baltimore

Baltimore prices sit around the national average. Steep rowhouse stairs, parking on narrow streets and chimney work push jobs toward the top of each range.

Venting in Baltimore rowhouses

Many Baltimore rowhouses have one masonry chimney shared by the furnace and water heater, running up through a party wall. When the furnace is replaced with a high-efficiency model that vents through the wall, the water heater may be left alone in a flue that is too big and too cold to draw reliably. In winter, that can mean exhaust spilling back into the basement.

A plumber should test the draft on any gas water heater in an older rowhouse. A properly sized chimney liner or a power-vent heater are the usual fixes. Tankless units with sidewall vents are another option, but rowhouse walls have strict clearance rules from windows, doors and neighboring properties, which can limit where the vent can go.

Basement floods

Heavy storms periodically back up Baltimore's sewers and flood basements, especially in low-lying neighborhoods. A water heater standing in floodwater with its burner or gas control submerged should be inspected and, in most cases, replaced. If your basement has flooded before, a stand to lift the heater and a backwater valve on the sewer line are worth discussing with a plumber.

Repair or replace in Baltimore

Because rowhouse replacements are labor-heavy, repairs on younger tanks are good value. A thermocouple, thermostat or relief valve on a tank under eight or nine years old is almost always worth fixing. Past ten years, a failed gas valve, rust at the base or any flood damage usually points to replacement. BGE has offered efficiency incentives on water heaters at times, which can tip the choice toward a high-efficiency or heat pump model.

Looking after a heater in a rowhouse basement

Rowhouse basements tend to be damp in summer and cold near the front wall in January, so start by giving the heater some breathing room. Move paint cans, laundry and storage boxes at least a couple of feet away; gas burners draw combustion air from the floor, and lint or solvent fumes near the intake cause pilot outages and worse. A drip pan with a drain line, or a simple leak alarm on the floor, gives early warning before water spreads under a party wall into the neighbor's basement.

Because Baltimore's reservoir water is gentle on tanks, a full flush every second year is usually plenty. What deserves more attention is the vent: once a year, hold a lit match or incense stick near the draft hood while the burner runs. Smoke should be pulled up into the flue. If it drifts back into the room, stop using the heater and call for a draft test. Scorch marks on the jacket around the burner door point to the same problem.

Formstone fronts and brick party walls also mean that drafty basement windows in older homes let in cold air near the heater. Sealing gaps around them keeps the pilot steadier and protects the water lines running along the front wall during a hard freeze.

Around Baltimore

Towson, Catonsville and Dundalk in Baltimore County share the city's water system and have their own mix of rowhouses, duplexes and single-family homes. Columbia and Ellicott City in Howard County are newer, with basement or utility-room heaters in 1970s and later homes. Glen Burnie and Annapolis in Anne Arundel County draw on other sources, including groundwater.

Water heater questions from Baltimore