No hot water: the check, the cause, and the cost

No hot water is one of the most common calls we take, and the fix is usually a small part, not a new water heater. Most repairs run $150 to $450.

Check this first (five minutes)

Confirm the propane supply. Tank valve open, enough fuel in it, and another gas appliance (the stove) lighting normally. If nothing gas-powered works, the problem is supply, not the water heater.
Switch modes if your unit has both gas and electric. A unit set to electric with no shore power, or set to gas with an empty tank, looks broken and is not.
Listen for the igniter. Clicking with no flame points to the thermocouple or the gas valve. No clicking at all points to the control board or a switch.
Check that the tank is actually full of water, especially after storage or a service visit, since some models will not fire on an empty tank as a safety measure.

What is usually wrong

What you find	Likely cause	Fix and cost
Stove and other gas appliances also dead	Propane supply issue, not the water heater	Check tank and lines
Clicking, pilot lights briefly, then goes out	Failing thermocouple	$150 to $300
No clicking at all	Igniter, control board, or switch fault	$200 to $450
Debris or blockage in the burner tube after a long sit	Normal after months in storage	Clean and test: $150 to $350
Water heats but not fully, or runs out fast	Sediment buildup, spent anode (steel tank)	$150 to $300
Tank leaking	Corroded tank, usually from a spent anode rod	Replacement: $700 to $1,800 installed

Ranges from the pricing page, on top of the $75 to $150 trip fee and $125 to $190 hourly labor.

Why this happens after a Montgomery County storage-yard sit

A rig sitting for months in a gated storage yard is exactly the setup for a water heater to go quiet: nothing runs through the burner tube, and it becomes an inviting spot for debris or an insect nest to settle in. Corrosion on the thermocouple connection also progresses faster in Gulf Coast humidity than in a dry climate. Most of this shows up as a will-not-light call on the first trip out of storage, and it is almost always a small, inexpensive fix.

What to expect on the call

Tell us whether other propane appliances work, whether you hear clicking, and roughly how long the rig has been sitting. We work on site across Conroe, Montgomery, Willis, The Woodlands, Magnolia, New Caney, and Huntsville. The plumbing and water heater repair service page covers this in more depth.

Frequently Asked Questions

My water heater worked fine before I put the rig in storage and now it won't light. Why?

The most common cause after a long sit is debris or a partial blockage in the burner tube, followed by a corroded thermocouple or igniter. Those are $150 to $450 repairs, not the $700 to $1,800 a full replacement costs.

Is it the propane or the water heater?

Check the propane supply first: is the tank actually open and has fuel, and does another propane appliance (the stove) light? If the stove works fine and the water heater does not, the fault is in the water heater itself, not the gas supply.

The pilot lights but goes out after a few seconds. What is that?

Almost always a failing thermocouple, the small safety sensor that confirms the pilot flame is lit and keeps the gas valve open. It is an inexpensive part and a straightforward fix.

Should I replace the anode rod?

If your water heater has a steel tank with an anode rod (not all do), yes, on a regular schedule. A spent anode rod lets the tank itself corrode, which is how a $20 part turns into a $700-plus tank replacement.