Water heater repair in Tacoma, WA

From the Green River to Tacoma taps

Tacoma Water, a division of Tacoma Public Utilities, takes most of its supply from the Green River at a diversion dam called the Headworks, upstream of the small community of Palmer in the foothills east of Enumclaw. The upper watershed is protected forest land where public access is restricted. Since 2014 the river water has run through the Green River Filtration Facility before it travels west through large pipelines toward the city.

When demand climbs in summer, or when heavy fall rain turns the river murky, Tacoma Water leans on its groundwater wells. The South Tacoma wellfield draws from the aquifer under the South Tacoma Way corridor, and the North Fork wells tap groundwater along the North Fork of the Green River. That blend means the mineral content at your kitchen tap shifts a bit with the season.

For a water heater, the river side of that supply is gentle. Scale stays light, Tacoma's electric elements seldom need descaling, and tankless units here can go longer between descaling than units in Spokane or Salt Lake. The trade-off is that soft, low-mineral water eats the sacrificial anode faster, and once the rod is gone, the steel tank lining is next.

Stadium District basements, Hilltop rentals, Northeast Tacoma garages

The North End holds much of Tacoma's older housing. Craftsman bungalows, foursquares and stately homes around Wright Park, the Stadium District and the streets near Proctor were built with full or daylight basements, and the heater normally sits there beside the furnace. Plenty of those basements were finished long after the heater was installed, so a slow leak can soak carpet and drywall before anyone opens the utility closet.

Hilltop, the Eastside, McKinley and the Lincoln District have many smaller early twentieth century homes and duplexes, and a fair number are rentals with compact electric tanks in a closet or a cramped corner of the basement. South Tacoma and Fern Hill lean toward post-war bungalows and ranches with heaters in utility rooms.

Northeast Tacoma, on the hill above Commencement Bay, is mostly newer split-levels and two-story homes from the 1970s onward. Their heaters typically sit in attached garages, where seismic strapping, a raised platform for gas units and a clear path to the drain pan matter more than chimney work.

Rain, quakes and the mountain on the horizon

Tacoma's climate is mild and wet. Long, gray rainy seasons keep basements damp, and that dampness slowly rusts drain valves, gas connectors and the jackets of older tanks. A dehumidifier or a heat pump water heater, which pulls moisture from the air as it runs, helps in a musty North End basement.

Earthquakes are the bigger hazard. The 2001 Nisqually earthquake was centered not far south of Tacoma, and it cracked chimneys and knocked over unstrapped heaters across the South Sound. Washington requires two seismic straps on every water heater, and inspectors in Tacoma check for them. Mount Rainier's lahar risk is real for the Puyallup River valley, but day to day, a cold February freeze that bursts a garage line is the more common emergency.

The problems plumbers see most in Tacoma

• Anode rods eaten to bare wire on Green River water, followed by early tank leaks.
• Corroded fittings and gas flex lines in damp North End and Stadium District basements.
• Closet electric tanks with failed elements in Hilltop and Eastside rentals.
• Single strap or no straps at all on heaters installed before current seismic rules, or after a DIY swap.
• Leaks hidden behind finished basement walls in older homes near Proctor and Wright Park.
• Garage heaters missing an expansion tank in Northeast Tacoma homes with pressure-reducing valves.

Typical water heater prices in Tacoma

Tacoma labor rates trail Seattle and the Eastside but have crept up as more Seattle commuters settled in Pierce County. Hauling a tank up narrow basement stairs in a 1910 house, adding a dedicated circuit for a heat pump unit, or calling on a holiday weekend will push a job toward the upper end of these ranges.

Tacoma permits and Washington L&I

In Washington, plumbers carry an L&I-issued certificate, and the company must also be a registered L&I contractor. You can check both with L&I's online lookup before you let anyone start work. A plumber's trainee may work on your heater only under a certified plumber's supervision.

Inside city limits, water heater replacement permits come from the City of Tacoma's Planning and Development Services, which runs the permit counter in the Tacoma Municipal Building downtown and accepts many applications online. The inspector typically looks at the seismic straps, the relief valve discharge line, gas connections, venting and the expansion tank where one is needed. University Place, Lakewood and the unincorporated parts of Pierce County issue their own permits.

Tacoma Power, PSE gas and choosing a replacement

Electricity inside Tacoma comes from Tacoma Power, the city-owned utility whose rates are low thanks largely to hydropower from dams on the Cowlitz, Nisqually and Skokomish rivers. Cheap, clean power makes electric and heat pump water heaters a sensible choice in Tacoma, and the utility has run rebate programs for heat pump tanks at times.

Natural gas in Tacoma comes from Puget Sound Energy. Many North End and South Tacoma homes have used gas tanks for decades, and replacing like for like is usually the fastest fix when a heater fails without warning. Homeowners thinking about electrification often switch at a planned replacement instead, when there is time to check panel capacity and room for a heat pump unit.

Care for a heater on soft Tacoma water

Because Green River water is so low in minerals, upkeep in Tacoma is mostly about the anode. Have a plumber pull and inspect it a few years in, and swap it before the core wire shows. A powered anode is an option if your tank smells of rotten eggs, which sometimes happens when soft water reacts with a magnesium rod.

Draining a few gallons each fall still helps, especially in South Tacoma, where summer well water adds a bit of grit. Keep basement floors around the heater clear, wipe off any rust on the drain valve, and glance at the straps after any noticeable tremor.

When to repair and when to replace

A failed igniter, valve or element on a Tacoma heater younger than eight years is usually worth fixing. Tanks on Green River water often last ten years or more when the anode is changed, but a tank that has never had one replaced may start weeping at the seams sooner than owners expect. Any rusty water from the hot side or moisture at the base of the tank means it is time to plan a replacement.

Around Tacoma

Lakewood gets water from the Lakewood Water District, and University Place and Fircrest have their own permit offices even where Tacoma Water supplies the pipes. Puyallup, Fife and Federal Way each run separate building departments, and Gig Harbor across the Narrows draws on local groundwater. A plumber who works the whole South Sound can tell you which office reviews your address.

Water heater questions from Tacoma