Water heater repair in Detroit.
It may only need one part.
An igniter, thermocouple or heating element runs $100 – $350 to replace, nationally. Ask about the part before anyone sells you a tank.
A referral service for Detroit homeowners. An automated assistant answers; calls are recorded.
- Cost to call
- Nothing
- Answered by
- Automated assistant
- Hours
- Any hour
Before anything else
If you smell gas, leave first
DTE’s instruction, in DTE’s order: leave the area immediately. Once you are in a safe place, call 911, and then call 800‑947‑5000, DTE’s gas leak hotline (DTE · DTE).
Before you leave, DTE says not to use phones, doorbells, light switches or any other electrical device near the area, not to smoke or light a match, not to start or stop any machinery or vehicle, and not to try to find the leak yourself. Do not go back inside until DTE says it is safe (DTE).
Do not call us for a gas leak, and do not call any number a contractor prints for one. 911 and 800‑947‑5000 are the two numbers.
What the heater is doing
No hot water
$150 – $600
Leaking tank
Two valves first
A new tank
$882 – $1,826
Tankless
$1,400 – $3,900
Not quotes. No hot water is one Metro Detroit contractor’s posted repair range, September 2026; a new tank and tankless are Angi’s national figures, July 2026. Every range and its source.
How it works
Tell us gas or electric, and what it’s doing
One water heater contractor, not five.
Get the price in writing first
The state may pay up to $1,500 toward a broken water heater.
Michigan’s emergency relief covers repair or replacement of a broken water heater for homeowners who qualify, up to $1,500 lifetime. the program page · how to apply
No hot water today still needs a contractor. Ask about the relief when you call.
Questions
Checked October 18, 2026
When can I call?
Any hour. An automated assistant takes your details, and we pass them on to a water heater contractor who serves Detroit.
I smell gas. What do I do first?
Leave the area now. Once you’re somewhere safe, call 911, then DTE’s gas leak hotline at 800‑947‑5000 (DTE). Near the area, don’t use a phone, a light switch or a doorbell, and don’t go back in until DTE says it’s safe (DTE).
The pilot light went out. Can I relight it?
DTE says to shut off the gas at the appliance’s own valve, then have a licensed professional relight it (DTE). What to check first.
Water is coming from the tank. What do I close?
First the valve on the heater’s own cold water pipe, which the state plumbing code requires (the code). If that won’t hold it, close the main shutoff, which DWSD tells every homeowner to find and label (DWSD). DWSD’s emergency line is for a water main or the line in the street, not a tank in your basement (DWSD).
Do I need a permit to replace a water heater?
The city says plumbing work can’t start until a permit is issued; the only exceptions are faucet and valve parts or clearing a stoppage (the city). A licensed plumbing contractor pulls it, or you can pull it yourself for your own house (the state).
Will I be charged for the visit?
Calling us costs nothing. Some plumbers charge to come out or to diagnose. Ask before they come, and get the price in writing.