Your water heater works hard behind the scenes in your home, providing hot water for your taps and appliances. But sometimes it works a little too hard, leading to problems that could require professional service.
Here are four common water heater problems, and some tips for what to do about each. Remember: always turn off power at the circuit breaker before doing any troubleshooting work on your water heater!

Water temperature issues are among the most common problems you’ll encounter with water heaters. Here are three water temperature issues, their likely causes, and how to handle them:

• Water is cold – Cold water is usually caused by either a lack of power, a faulty thermostat or a faulty heating element. Start by eliminating power as a suspect by resetting tripped circuit breakers and replacing blown fuses. Next, check power switches to make sure they are turned on and power indicators are lit. Finally, check the thermostat to make sure it’s receiving power.
• Water is warm, but not hot enough – If your water isn’t getting hot enough, the cause could be an undersized water heater, crossed hot and cold connections, or a faulty heating element or thermostat. You can rule out a crossed connection by turning off the water supply and turning on a hot water faucet; if the water still flows, you could have a crossed connection. Beyond this, we recommend contacting a professional  to check the water heater’s heating elements thermostat, and to assess whether your water heater is properly sized.
• Water is too hot – When water is running too hot, it usually means the thermostat is set too high. See your water heater’s owners manual for adjusting thermostat temperature.

Water leaks can be attributed to multiple causes, including:

• a faulty temperature and pressure relief valve
• improper water pressure
• overheating
• a leak from nearby plumbing connection
• loose heating element bolts
• a bad gasket
• a leaking water tank

Check for any obviously loose plumbing connections, tightening (but not over-tightening) them to reduce the leak. Next, check the loose heating element bolts, tightening them if needed. If the heating element is still leaking, you will probably need to replace the gasket (we recommend hiring a professional to do this). Finally, check for leaks on or around the storage tank –since storage tanks typically corrode from the inside, you are probably seeing the beginning of the end for your water heater. Of course, you can tank leak issues altogether by switching to a tankless water heater – the equipment lasts about twice as long, too, and takes up about one quarter of the space in your basement.