No hot water
No Hot Water: What to Check First
On an electric water heater, check the breaker, then the reset button on the upper thermostat. On a gas unit, check whether the pilot is lit. If the pilot lights but goes out within a minute, the thermocouple is the usual cause and that needs a licensed plumber.
Electric water heater: what to check
- The breaker. Water heater breakers trip more often than people expect. Switch it fully off, then back on. If it trips again immediately, stop — that indicates a fault, not a nuisance trip.
- The high-limit reset. Behind the upper access panel, under the insulation, there is usually a red reset button. Pressing it once is reasonable. If it trips again, something is causing an overheat condition and repeated resetting is not the answer.
- The thermostat setting. Worth a look before assuming a failure.
If all three check out and there is still no hot water, the likely candidates are a failed heating element or thermostat. Both are common, both are repairable, and both need someone with a multimeter.
Gas water heater: what to check
- Is the pilot lit? There is usually a sight glass or small window near the base. If it is out and the unit has a manual pilot, the relighting instructions are printed on the label.
- Is gas reaching the unit? If other gas appliances in the house have also stopped working, the problem is upstream of the water heater.
- Does the pilot light and then go out? That is the informative symptom. It usually means the thermocouple — a safety device that senses the pilot flame and closes the gas valve when it weakens — is failing.
A thermocouple, a fouled pilot orifice, and a failing gas control valve all produce similar symptoms and are distinguished by testing rather than by guessing. That is a plumber’s job.
Leave the house. Do not operate light switches on your way out. From outside, call Atmos Energy at 866-322-8667 or 911 — and note that Pflugerville has a second gas utility, SiEnergy, serving unincorporated addresses, on 888-468-7007. Check which one bills you before you need it. Make that call before calling a plumber.
Could a freeze have caused it?
It is worth considering during a cold snap. Most Pflugerville homes keep the water heater in an unheated garage, which leaves supply lines exposed. Central Texas sees occasional hard freezes below 28°F, and local construction is not built for sustained cold. A frozen supply line will stop hot water at the tap even when the heater itself is working normally.
What to have ready when you call
- Gas or electric, and tank or tankless
- Approximate age, if you know it — it’s on the model label
- Where the unit sits — garage, attic, closet, exterior
- What you already checked and what happened
- Any error code on a tankless display, written down before clearing it
Common questions
Why did my water heater suddenly stop making hot water?
A sudden and complete loss usually points at power or fuel rather than gradual wear. On electric units the common causes are a tripped breaker or a failed heating element; on gas units, a pilot outage or a failed thermocouple.
Where is the reset button on a water heater?
On most electric units it is a red button on the upper thermostat, behind the access panel and under the insulation. It is a high-limit safety cutout. If it trips again after resetting, stop resetting it — something is causing the overheat and it needs diagnosis.
Is it safe to relight my own pilot light?
On units with a manual pilot and printed instructions on the label, carefully yes. If you smell gas at any point, stop, leave the house, and call your gas utility from outside before doing anything else.
Why is my water lukewarm but never hot?
Common causes are a thermostat set too low, a failed upper element on an electric unit, or a crossover between hot and cold lines from a failed mixing valve or fixture cartridge. Check the thermostat setting first, since that one is free.