By Derim “Mike” Vinca, Owner of A-1 Milwaukee Heating & Cooling · 17+ years in the trade · Updated October 2026 · More HVAC guides
No hot water is rarely an emergency, but it is miserable. Go through these checks in order; several of them take a minute. If you still have no hot water at the end, call or text 414-595-5175.
If you smell gas, leave the house and call We Energies at 800-261-5325 or 911 from outside before you call anyone else. If a carbon monoxide alarm is sounding, get everyone outside and call 911.
If water is leaking from the tank, shut the cold-water valve on the pipe above it, and turn the gas control to Off or switch off the breaker for an electric heater.
1. Is it gas or electric?
A gas water heater has a gas pipe and a vent pipe on top. An electric one has a heavy electrical cable and no vent. The checks are different for each.
2. Gas: the control and the light
Make sure the gas valve on the pipe is open and the control knob is set to On, not Pilot or Vacation. Newer models have a status light that blinks a code; count the blinks and check the label on the tank. On older models with a standing pilot, look through the small window: if the pilot is out, you can relight it following the steps printed on the label, if you are comfortable doing so. If it will not stay lit, the thermocouple is the usual suspect, and that is a call.
3. Gas: power-vent models need electricity
If your water heater has a fan on top, it is a power-vent model and needs electricity to run. Check that it is plugged in and that the outlet or its GFCI has not tripped.
4. Electric: the breaker
Check the water heater’s breaker in the panel. If it tripped, reset it once. If it trips again, stop and call; something is shorting. Electric water heaters also have a reset button behind the upper access panel, but that panel covers live wiring, so if you are not comfortable working around it, leave it for us.
5. Lukewarm water, rumbling or a dripping valve
Lukewarm water points to a thermostat set too low, a failed element on an electric tank, a broken dip tube or heavy sediment. Rumbling and popping are sediment boiling under the water on the bottom of the tank. A dripping temperature and pressure relief valve can mean the pressure is too high, often because the house needs an expansion tank; never cap or plug that valve.
When it is time to replace
Water on the floor from the tank itself, rust in the hot water, or a tank past ten years old that has started to rumble are the usual signs. Then a replacement is the better money, and we give you one all-in written price: unit, parts and haul-away.
What to expect when you call A-1
Same-day service in most cases. We find the actual cause, quote a flat-rate price before we start, and guarantee the repair for one year, parts and labor. More on our water heater repair and replacement. Typical replacement prices are in our Milwaukee HVAC price guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth repairing a 12-year-old water heater?
Usually not if the tank itself is leaking, rusting or rumbling; tank water heaters typically last 8 to 12 years in Milwaukee’s hard water. A failed thermocouple, igniter, element or thermostat on a younger tank is a sensible repair.
Why does my hot water run out so fast?
On an electric tank, a failed lower element is the classic cause. On any tank, a thick layer of sediment, a broken dip tube, or a thermostat set too low can do it. Sometimes the household simply outgrew the tank.
Can you replace my water heater today?
Usually. Standard 40- and 50-gallon gas and electric tanks are stocked locally, so most replacements happen the same day or the next.