Why did my hot water disappear all at once?

A sudden, total loss is usually electrical or ignition: a tripped breaker or a pilot that has gone out. A gradual decline, where showers get shorter over weeks or months, points instead at scale building up or a dip tube breaking down.

Is it worth repairing, or should I replace it?

Under about eight years, a single part such as an element, thermostat or thermocouple usually brings it back and is worth doing. Past eight to ten years in Arizona water, with rust or short hot water, replacement is normally the better value than a series of repairs on a tank that is already near the end.

Can I relight the pilot myself?

You can, using the instructions printed on the heater itself. What we would not do is keep relighting one that will not stay lit. The thermocouple shuts the gas off when it cannot sense a flame, so a pilot that keeps dying is a safety device working correctly and telling you a part has failed.

I have hot water, it just runs out fast. Same problem?

Different problem. Running out quickly means the tank is heating but not holding, which usually means scale has taken up space and insulated the heat source, or the dip tube has broken and cold is mixing in at the top. Both are worth diagnosing rather than living with, because both get worse.

My water is hot but only lukewarm at one tap.

Then the heater is probably fine and the problem is at that fixture: a mixing valve, a cartridge, or a crossed connection. That is a different job from a water heater repair.

Troubleshooting

No Hot Water? Here's What's Wrong and How to Fix It

No hot water usually means a tripped breaker or an out pilot on the water heater, a failed heating element or thermostat, or a unit that has reached the end of its life. If the water is lukewarm rather than cold, or runs hot then goes cold fast, that points at a broken dip tube or heavy scale instead. Start by working out whether your heater is gas or electric, because the first thing to check is different for each.

What to do right now

Work out which kind you have. Look at the top of the tank: a round metal flue duct rising out of it means gas, and there will be a gas line running to the bottom. No flue, just electrical cable or conduit into the top, means electric.
Electric: check your breaker panel for a tripped double breaker labelled water heater and reset it once. This is the most common cause and it costs nothing to rule out.
Gas: look through the small window at the base of the tank for a lit pilot flame. If it is out, follow the lighting instructions printed on the unit itself, not instructions from anywhere else.
If the breaker trips again, or the pilot will not stay lit, stop resetting and relighting it. Both are safety devices doing their job, and repeated resets can turn a part failure into a bigger one. That is the point to call us.
Check a hot tap and see what you are actually getting. Stone cold from every tap points at the heater not firing. Lukewarm, or hot that quits early, points at a dip tube or scale instead, which is a different repair.
Look for small white plastic flakes in a faucet aerator or showerhead screen. If they are there, the dip tube has broken up and that is worth telling us before we arrive.

Likely causes

Electric heater: a tripped breaker at the panel, a burned-out upper or lower heating element, or a failed thermostat. Elements are a wear item and are the most common failure on an electric tank.
Gas heater: the pilot has gone out, the igniter has failed, or the thermocouple, the safety device that senses the pilot flame and shuts the gas off if it cannot find it, has worn out.
Broken dip tube: the plastic tube that carries incoming cold water down to the bottom of the tank. When it cracks or breaks off, cold water mixes in at the top and comes straight out of the hot side. The giveaway is lukewarm water plus small pieces of white plastic caught in faucet aerators and showerheads.
Scale: Arizona water runs hard, and as it heats, minerals drop out and settle on the tank bottom and on the elements. That layer insulates the water from the heat source, so the unit heats slower, runs out sooner and eventually fails early.
Age: a tank that is past eight to ten years and giving you rusty or short hot water is usually telling you it is done, rather than asking for another part.
Tankless unit: an error code on the display, scale in the heat exchanger, or a gas supply that cannot deliver enough volume when more than one fixture runs at once.

When to call a pro

If the quick fixes do not solve it, this is usually a water heater repair & replacement job. Liberty dispatches 24/7 with upfront pricing.

No Hot Water? Here's What's Wrong and How to Fix It, FAQ

Why did my hot water disappear all at once?: A sudden, total loss is usually electrical or ignition: a tripped breaker or a pilot that has gone out. A gradual decline, where showers get shorter over weeks or months, points instead at scale building up or a dip tube breaking down.
Is it worth repairing, or should I replace it?: Under about eight years, a single part such as an element, thermostat or thermocouple usually brings it back and is worth doing. Past eight to ten years in Arizona water, with rust or short hot water, replacement is normally the better value than a series of repairs on a tank that is already near the end.
Can I relight the pilot myself?: You can, using the instructions printed on the heater itself. What we would not do is keep relighting one that will not stay lit. The thermocouple shuts the gas off when it cannot sense a flame, so a pilot that keeps dying is a safety device working correctly and telling you a part has failed.
I have hot water, it just runs out fast. Same problem?: Different problem. Running out quickly means the tank is heating but not holding, which usually means scale has taken up space and insulated the heat source, or the dip tube has broken and cold is mixing in at the top. Both are worth diagnosing rather than living with, because both get worse.
My water is hot but only lukewarm at one tap.: Then the heater is probably fine and the problem is at that fixture: a mixing valve, a cartridge, or a crossed connection. That is a different job from a water heater repair.

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