Water heater repair in Springfield, MA

Cobble Mountain water and West Parish Filters

The Springfield Water and Sewer Commission draws water from Cobble Mountain Reservoir and Borden Brook Reservoir in the forested hills of Blandford and Granville, about twenty miles west of the city. Water flows by gravity to the West Parish Filters treatment plant in Westfield, where it is filtered and treated before traveling to Springfield and Ludlow, with some water also sold to nearby towns.

Reservoir water from these upland watersheds is very soft, typically only a grain or two of hardness per gallon. That means Springfield tanks collect very little mineral sediment, and tankless heaters rarely need descaling. Soft water can be more aggressive toward metal, though, so the commission adjusts pH and adds corrosion control. Anode rods in Springfield tanks still wear down, and the condition of the anode matters more than sediment for tank life.

Winter inlet temperatures drop into the upper 30s or low 40s, and a typical 40-gallon tank simply cannot keep up with several showers in a row on a January morning.

Triple-deckers, Victorians and capes

Springfield has one of the largest collections of triple-deckers in New England. Neighborhoods like Forest Park, Six Corners, the South End, Indian Orchard, McKnight and Liberty Heights are full of these three-story wood-frame homes, with one apartment per floor. In most, the basement holds three separate water heaters, one per unit, often venting into a shared chimney. Some buildings have a single larger heater or a boiler with an indirect tank serving all three floors.

The McKnight and Maple Hill districts include grand Victorian homes with large basements, old boilers and complex piping. Sixteen Acres, East Forest Park and Pine Point have more post-war capes and ranches, where the heater sits in a basement near the furnace or boiler. Many older homes also still have original cast iron or galvanized piping.

The 2011 tornado, winter storms and freezes

On June 1, 2011, a powerful tornado tore through Springfield, damaging downtown, the South End, Forest Park, East Forest Park and Sixteen Acres. Hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed. Rebuilt homes in those areas may have newer plumbing and water heaters, while nearby houses that were repaired may have mixed old and new systems. Plumbers working in the tornado path often encounter repairs layered on top of older piping.

Western Massachusetts winters bring nor'easters, ice storms and long freezing spells. Power outages from Eversource's lines can shut down power-vent and tankless heaters, and frozen pipes in drafty basements and unheated porches are common in triple-deckers. The Connecticut River also floods occasionally, affecting low-lying areas near the riverfront.

The problems plumbers see most in Springfield

• Three heaters sharing one chimney in triple-decker basements, with draft problems after a boiler upgrade.
• Worn anodes and tank leaks from soft, slightly aggressive reservoir water.
• Winter shortfalls when cold reservoir water meets small tanks in large households.
• Frozen supply lines near exterior walls and porches in older homes.
• Failed thermocouples and gas valves on aging standing-pilot tanks.
• Mismatched piping and patched connections in homes repaired after the 2011 tornado.

Typical water heater prices in Springfield

Springfield prices are lower than Boston's but in line with much of New England. Triple-decker basements with multiple heaters and shared flues, plus Massachusetts's separate gas permit, add time and cost to many jobs.

Massachusetts licensing and Springfield permits

Massachusetts keeps tight control over this trade. Only a licensed plumber may replace a Springfield heater, and hooking up the gas side calls for a licensed gas fitter too; the same state examining board oversees both licenses, and many professionals carry both. Springfield's Department of Code Enforcement issues plumbing and gas permits for water heater replacement, and an inspector checks the venting, gas connection, relief valve discharge and other code requirements.

Homeowners in Massachusetts cannot legally perform their own gas water heater replacement. Inspectors in triple-decker neighborhoods pay particular attention to whether each heater gets enough air and how the common flue is performing.

Venting triple-decker heaters

A triple-decker chimney often started out venting a coal or oil boiler and later picked up three gas water heaters. After that boiler gives way to a condensing unit piped out the side of the house, the leftover heaters may not have enough exhaust heat to keep the old flue drawing. This leads to backdrafting, rust on the tops of tanks and carbon monoxide alarms. A properly sized liner, a common vent designed for several appliances, or switching to power-vent or electric heaters can fix the problem.

State law calls for CO alarms wherever fuel is burned, so every floor of a Springfield triple-decker needs working detectors, with one close to the cellar door.

Soft water and tank care

Because Springfield's water is so soft, flushing is less critical than in hard-water cities, but the anode deserves attention. A plumber can pull and inspect it, and if it is worn to bare wire, a new rod can add years to the tank. Keep the area around the heater clear, check the relief valve each year, and watch for rust at the base or water on the floor, which usually means the tank itself is failing.

Repair or replace in Springfield

Repairs make sense on heaters under eight years old with a single failed part. Older tanks with rust, leaks or flue problems are better replaced, especially in triple-deckers where one failure can affect a whole building's venting. Eversource, now the gas supplier that took over Columbia Gas of Massachusetts territory, and Mass Save have offered efficiency rebates at times, which can make heat pump or high-efficiency gas heaters more attractive.

Around Springfield

Ludlow shares Springfield's water system and has its own building department. Chicopee gets water from the Quabbin through the regional MWRA system and issues its own permits. West Springfield, Agawam, Longmeadow and East Longmeadow each run separate inspection offices and have a mix of older homes and post-war neighborhoods.

Water heater questions from Springfield