What to Ask a Customer With No Hot Water Before Sending a Plumber

First, the safety questions

• Does anyone smell gas, like rotten eggs, near the water heater? If yes: do not touch any switches, do not try to relight anything, get everyone out, and call 911 or the gas company from outside.
• Is the tank hissing, or is water spraying or dripping from the pipe on the side? Keep people back from it and tell the plumber right away.
• Is there water on the floor around the heater? If yes, this is also a leak call, and the plumber needs to know before they arrive.
• Is there a scorch mark, a burning smell or soot near the bottom of a gas unit? Leave it off and tell the plumber.

Narrowing it down: the quick checks

• Is it gas or electric? A gas unit has a pipe with a valve going into it and a vent on top.
• Is it a tank or a tankless unit on the wall?
• Is there no hot water at all, or some hot water that runs out fast? Those are different problems.
• Is it every faucet in the house, or just one? One faucet points to the fixture, not the heater.
• Electric: is a breaker tripped? Reset it once at most. If it trips again, leave it off and tell the plumber.
• Gas: can they see a small flame through the window at the bottom? If it is out and there is no gas smell, leave relighting to the plumber unless they have done it before.
• How old is the unit? The label on the side usually shows a date or serial number.

What the plumber needs to know

• Gas or electric, tank or tankless, and the brand if they can read it.
• The size from the label, in gallons for a tank.
• The age, or a photo of the label so the plumber can read it.
• Where the heater is: garage, basement, closet, attic, and whether it is easy to reach.
• Whether anything changed recently: a power outage, gas work, new fixtures, a recent repair.
• Photos of the unit, the label and any water on the floor.

How it sounds on the phone

The three ways this goes wrong

• Booking a routine visit without asking about a gas smell. That question comes first, every time.
• Talking the customer through relighting a pilot or resetting a breaker over and over. Once is the limit, then it waits for the plumber.
• Not asking gas or electric, tank or tankless, and the age, so the plumber arrives without the right part or without knowing it may be a replacement.

A no hot water call is gas and safety first, then gas or electric, tank or tankless, then the details. Ask in that order, and the household stays safe and the plumber arrives ready to fix it on the first visit.