Water heater repair in Cambridge, MA

A city with its own reservoirs

Most cities inside Route 128 buy water from the MWRA. Cambridge does not. The Cambridge Water Department owns the Hobbs Brook Reservoir, straddling Lincoln, Lexington and Waltham, and the Stony Brook Reservoir in Weston and Waltham. Water flows by gravity and conduit from those upland basins into Fresh Pond on the city's western edge, where the Walter J. Sullivan Water Purification Facility filters and disinfects it before sending it out through the city's mains.

Because the watershed runs alongside Route 128 and Route 2, winter road salt washes into the streams that feed it. That raises sodium and chloride levels compared with the Quabbin water that Somerville, Arlington and Belmont receive, and the overall mineral content is higher too. The department keeps the city connected to the MWRA system for emergencies and maintenance periods, so for short stretches a household may be drinking regional water instead.

What that means at the heater: Cambridge tanks build a bit more sediment than tanks a mile away in Somerville, and tankless heat exchangers scale faster. A yearly partial drain is a sensible habit here, and a tankless owner should plan on descaling rather than assume the soft-water schedule common in MWRA towns.

Triple-deckers, condos and Harvard and MIT rentals

Cambridgeport, the Port, North Cambridge and East Cambridge are packed with triple-deckers and two-families, many now split into condominiums. Each unit usually has its own heater in a shared basement, separated by chain-link storage cages, and sometimes the original gas meters still sit in a row on the foundation wall. Mid-Cambridge, Agassiz and the streets around Harvard and Porter squares add mansard Victorians and big Queen Annes divided into four or more apartments.

Rentals for Harvard and MIT students, postdocs and staff form a huge share of the housing. Leases often turn over on September 1, and a heater that coasted through a quiet summer may fail in the first week of September when every shower in the building is running. Landlords with several buildings around Central and Inman squares often schedule heater replacements for July or August to dodge that rush.

Newer buildings near Kendall Square, Alewife and along the river tend to use compact electric tanks or central boiler plants instead of individual gas heaters, which shifts the repair work toward elements, thermostats and building engineers.

Winter supply water and crowded units

Fresh Pond is shallow compared with deep inland reservoirs, so supply water cools quickly once winter sets in and reaches the upper 30s in the coldest weeks. A 40-gallon tank feeding four roommates in a Cambridgeport apartment has to heat each refill by about 80 degrees, and it shows on February mornings. Households that regularly run out should consider a larger tank, a high-input power-vent model or a tankless unit chosen for February water temperatures instead of August ones.

Nor'easters bring their own trouble. Heavy snow can bury side-wall vent terminals on newer direct-vent and tankless heaters, which shut down on safety switches until the vent is cleared. Keep exterior vent caps uncovered after a big storm.

The problems plumbers see most in Cambridge

• September lease-turnover failures when a building fills with tenants at once and a tired tank gives out.
• Sediment and noise in tanks that went several years without a drain on Fresh Pond water.
• Scaled tankless heat exchangers in condos where owners assumed Cambridge water was as soft as Boston's.
• Cramped cage basements in condo triple-deckers that make removal slow.
• Orphaned chimney venting after owners switched to heat pumps or sealed-combustion boilers.
• Snow-buried side-wall terminals that shut down direct-vent tanks and tankless heaters after nor'easters.

Typical water heater prices in Cambridge

Cambridge sits at the expensive end of the Boston market. Parking, carrying tanks through narrow condo hallways, and condominium association rules about work hours all add time, while a long basement climb under a triple-decker adds labor on most replacements.

Permits and licensing in Cambridge

Under Massachusetts law the water piping on a heater must be done by a licensed plumber and the gas hookup by a licensed gas fitter, both credentialed by the state's plumbers and gas fitters board. In Cambridge, permits come from the city's Inspectional Services Department, which issues plumbing and gas permits separately and sends an inspector to check the installation. Expect a look at the vent, the relief valve discharge, the gas shutoff and bonding, and the carbon monoxide alarms that state law requires in homes with gas appliances.

Condo owners should also check their master deed and the association's rules. Some associations require notice before work in shared basements, proof of insurance from the contractor, or approval before a new vent penetration goes through an exterior wall. Renters should call the landlord or property manager first, since the owner is the one who pulls the permit.

Heat pump water heaters and Eversource

Cambridge has been pushing building electrification, and Eversource supplies both electricity and natural gas across the city. Heat pump water heaters fit well in warm, open basements and utility rooms, and Mass Save, the statewide efficiency program the utilities run, has offered generous rebates on them at times. They do need breathing room and a condensate drain, which can be tricky in a caged condo basement.

Before choosing one, have a plumber check the space, the electrical panel and whether a 240-volt circuit is available. In units with only a closet, a compact electric tank or a gas tankless model may be the practical choice. Program terms change, so confirm current incentives before you buy.

Repair or replace in Cambridge

When a Cambridge tank younger than about eight loses its igniter, thermocouple or element, fixing it almost always beats buying new. Past ten years on Fresh Pond water, a tank that has begun to rumble, or leaves a rust ring on the floor, is usually near the end, and replacing it on your schedule is cheaper than an emergency swap during move-in week.

Landlords with a row of heaters in one basement often get better pricing by replacing them together and updating the venting once, rather than paying for three separate permits and three trips down the same stairs. Read about replacing a row of basement heaters or quieting a rumbling Fresh Pond tank for more.

Around Cambridge

Neighbors across the line work differently. Somerville, Arlington, Belmont and Watertown buy softer MWRA water from the Quabbin and Wachusett reservoirs, and each has its own inspectional services or building office. Lexington and Lincoln sit up in the Hobbs Brook watershed but are served by other water systems. Waltham runs its own water department with MWRA supply. Allston and Brighton, just across the Charles, fall under Boston's permit office.

Water heater questions from Cambridge