Cold Water Heater - Recommendations for Plumber (King: appliances, home)

[MysteryMT]

Over the weekend my water heater went out. It appears that the pilot light has gone out and I can't get it to relight.

I've removed the outside cover, turned the temperature down, set the knob to "Pilot," held down the reset button for at least a minute and I can hear the gas line and pressed the electric starter but nothing happens.

Basically just followed this video - How to Relight a Water-Heater Pilot Light | eHow.com

I can't see the actual pilot light and would have to start unscrewing bits and pieces to see into the water heater. The screws are pretty small and I just don't think my big hands and lack of general eye hand coordination could put everything back together again even if I could take it apart.

So I'm looking for recommendations of someone that service Denver, NC (28037) that could get this relighted/working again. TIA.

Also, do I need to do anything to prevent a pipe bursting or something bad happening? Temperature wise for the next three days it looks like we've got a high in the mid 30s at best...

[vmaxnc]

Could be your starter is bad. My old water heater had that problem for 2 years until I replaced the whole thing. I had to hold a piece of burning newspaper in there while holding the pilot button to light it.

As for a problem, I can't see you having any unless the water heater is in an area that gets cold enough to freeze. A finished garage or basement won't get that cold with the temps getting into the 30's. That's my opinion. Others may have better input.

[Nativechief]

As a former fire safety specialist trained by the fire department let me caution you on the dangers of LEAKING GAS and FIRES associated with broken gas appliances.. This time of year has the greatest number of home fires and you can figure out why.

[MysteryMT]

Just googling around I came across this one DON'T PAY TOO MUCH FOR YOUR WATER HEATER...CALL THE WATER HEATER EXPERTS!. They had 11 reviews which was more than most. Curious if anyone has used them or had another recommendation?

Also, what are the sites to get the list of licensed plumbers?

[sundrop]

I recommend Jim Dickerson Plumbing.....ask for Brian R. to come out and take a look.
I know Brian personally and having worked in the industry for several years can tell you
that this company is top notch!

[FrankTheTank2]

Do you still have a warranty? Most come with at least a 6 year warranty.

[MysteryMT]

I have to check that when I get home. I called one of the recommendations above and didn't have my model or serial number, but they recommended I call whoever the manufacturer is first and get an authorization code in advance.

The home was built in 2008 and the inspection sticker on the unit has a 2008 date too so I'm guessing it's not more than 3 years old.

From calling around it looks like it'll either be the thermo-coupling or electrical starter. It sounded like one way or another it'll be at least 130 for them to come out and probably in the 175-250 range.

[DaddySpice]

No recommendation here, but kudos to the OP for calling it a "cold water heater." Most people call it a "hot water heater," which makes no sense -- if the water was already hot, you wouldn't need to heat it.