Water heater repair in Jacksonville, FL

Jacksonville water and your heater

JEA supplies most of Jacksonville from wells drilled into the Floridan Aquifer, the deep limestone aquifer beneath much of Florida. Water from limestone is hard, and Jacksonville's typically lands in the hard range. Floridan water also naturally carries hydrogen sulfide, which JEA treats out at its plants by aeration, but traces of sulfur can still react inside a water heater.

Hard water means sediment in tanks and scale on electric elements. A Jacksonville tank that goes several years without a flush usually has a crust on the bottom, and electric elements here commonly fail from scale buildup. If your hot water smells like rotten eggs while the cold does not, the anode rod is reacting with sulfur compounds and bacteria in the tank, a common Florida complaint that an anode change usually fixes.

Groundwater arrives at a fairly steady temperature, close to 70°F year-round. Jacksonville heaters never face the January strain of northern cities, so short hot water is almost always a failed element, a broken dip tube or sediment, not a tank that is too small.

Electric heaters are common here

Unlike much of the country, a large share of Jacksonville homes are all-electric, with no natural gas service at all. That makes electric tanks the most common water heater in many neighborhoods, especially in subdivisions built from the 1970s through the 2000s on the Southside, in Mandarin, on the Westside and out toward Oakleaf and Argyle. Gas tanks and tankless units are more common in newer homes in areas served by gas lines, and in some older homes near the urban core.

Electric tanks have fewer parts to fail than gas, but their elements and thermostats take a beating in hard water. A scaled lower element is one of the most common repair calls in Jacksonville. Electric tanks also tend to outlast gas tanks, so many of the city's heaters are repaired several times before they are replaced.

Heat pump water heaters suit Jacksonville well. Garages stay warm most of the year, the units dehumidify the air around them, and they cut water heating electricity by roughly two thirds compared with a standard electric tank. For an all-electric home, they are often the best upgrade available.

Where heaters sit, and the humidity problem

Jacksonville homes are built on slabs, so heaters go in garages, interior utility closets or laundry rooms. Garage installs are the norm in suburban neighborhoods, while older homes in Riverside, Avondale, Springfield and San Marco often have heaters in closets, back porches or converted utility rooms.

Humidity is a constant. Damp garages and coastal air at the Beaches, from Atlantic Beach to Jacksonville Beach, corrode fittings, connectors and the bottoms of tank jackets. Heaters in interior closets need a drain pan, because a leak there goes straight into flooring and walls.

Hurricanes and flooding

Jacksonville has seen serious flooding from hurricanes, including Irma in 2017, which pushed the St. Johns River into neighborhoods that rarely flood. Water heaters that sit in flooded garages, particularly gas units with burners and controls underwater, should be inspected before use and are usually replaced. Electric heaters with wet elements and wiring also need to be checked before power is restored.

Before a storm, it helps to know where the main water shutoff and the heater's breaker or gas valve are. If you evacuate and the house may flood, shutting off power to an electric water heater is a sensible precaution.

The problems plumbers see most in Jacksonville

• Burned-out electric elements, often the lower one, crusted with scale.
• Rotten-egg smell from hot water, caused by anode reactions.
• Sediment rumbling and short hot water in unflushed tanks.
• Corroded fittings and tank bottoms in humid garages and near the coast.
• Leaks in interior closets, where a missing or cracked pan lets water reach floors.
• Storm damage after flooding.

Typical water heater prices in Jacksonville

Jacksonville prices sit at or a little below the national average. Interior closet installs, which need a pan and careful access, cost more than garage swaps.

Permits and licensing in Jacksonville

Florida licenses plumbing contractors through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and you can verify any license on the DBPR website. Jacksonville and Duval County operate as a consolidated government, and the city's Building Inspection Division requires a permit for water heater replacement. The Beaches communities and Baldwin have their own building departments.

Ask for the plumber's Florida license number and whether the permit is included before agreeing to a replacement.

Across Jacksonville

Jacksonville covers more land than any other city in the lower 48, and its neighborhoods differ a lot. Mandarin and the Southside are full of 1980s and 1990s homes with electric tanks in the garage reaching their second or third replacement. Nocatee and the newer communities along the county line often have gas or tankless heaters. The Northside and Westside mix older ranch homes with new subdivisions.

Near the river and the ocean, in San Marco, Riverside and the Beaches, humidity and salt air are the main enemies, so fittings and connectors deserve an extra look at every service.

Water heater questions from Jacksonville