Third winter with this thing and it finally gave up
Bought this house 3 years ago, the heater was already old then. Noticed the water barely gets warm lately and there's a funky smell near the tank. Kids are complaining every single morning. Can someone point me to a decent hot water heater repair service they've actually used?
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Ugh, the cold shower saga hits different when kids are involved. Been there last winter — same funky egg smell, same lukewarm misery. Turned out my anode rod was basically dissolved and sediment had built up on the heating element. Classic signs honestly. Before calling anyone, try this: turn the temp dial up slightly and listen for popping/crackling sounds. If yes = sediment city. The smell usually means bacterial growth from a dying anode rod. For actual repair help, someone in a local FB group pointed me to emergency water heater repair — ended up being genuinely useful for diagnosing whether you need repair vs full replacement. My tech was straightforward about costs too, no upsell pressure which I appreciated. Fair warning though — if the tank itself is 10+ years old and showing rust near the base, sometimes repair is just delaying the inevitable