Water heater leaking? Shut it down first.
Close the cold-water supply valve above the heater. Turn a gas unit’s control to OFF, or switch off an electric unit’s breaker. In an apartment or condo, tell your building manager right away, since a leaking heater can reach the unit below. If you smell gas, get out and call 911 and Atmos at 866-322-8667 (our Dallas gas leak page has the steps). Then call us at (682) 284-0966.
Dallas Water Utilities draws from six reservoirs. The East Side plant in Sunnyvale treats water from Lake Ray Hubbard, Lake Tawakoni and Lake Fork; the Elm Fork and Bachman plants treat water from Lake Ray Roberts, Lake Lewisville and Lake Grapevine, sent down the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. Which lakes your tap water comes from depends on where you live, but asked in 2023 whether Dallas has hard water, DWU answered: “Yes.”
Replacing the unit? See water heater replacement or tankless installation. Water heater flooding the floor right now? See emergency plumbing in Dallas.
Dallas housing and where its water heaters sit
The Census (ACS 2020–2024) counts about 590,000 homes in Dallas, with a median build year of 1981. 48% were built before 1980, and nearly 10% before 1950. Only about 41% are single-family detached houses. The rest are duplexes, townhomes, condos and apartments, where a water heater may sit in a closet, an attic or a mechanical room shared with a neighbor’s.
What changes by era
Prewar neighborhoods
Nearly 10% of homes. Bungalows and Tudors often have heaters added later in closets, attics or garages. We check venting, clearances and gas connections closely.
Postwar growth
About 38% of homes. Original galvanized supply lines and old shutoff valves are common near the heater and are worth replacing during the job.
Apartments and suburbs
About 26% of homes, including many multifamily buildings. Closet and attic heaters, often in tight spaces, plus drain pans that may need checking.
Infill and towers
About 26% of homes. Townhomes and new infill often use attic tanks or tankless units, which need descaling in Dallas water.
What Dallas water does inside a water heater
Dallas water at a glance
- Supplier: Dallas Water Utilities (DWU), a city department that also sells water to dozens of nearby cities.
- Sources: six reservoirs: Ray Hubbard, Tawakoni and Fork (treated at the East Side plant), and Ray Roberts, Lewisville and Grapevine (treated at the Elm Fork and Bachman plants).
- Hardness: 120 to 155 mg/L as calcium carbonate, according to a December 2023 DWU memo to the City Council. That’s about 7 to 9 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale, 61–120 is moderately hard and 121–180 is hard.
- Questions about your water: call 311.
As water heats, dissolved calcium and magnesium come out and build up on the tank bottom, the heating element and in tankless heat exchangers. Most sediment and scale problems in Dallas come down to that.
Water heater repairs we make in Dallas
| What you notice | Usual cause | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| Popping or rumbling | Scale and sediment on the tank bottom | Flush it, or replace the tank if it’s too far gone |
| Lukewarm water (electric) | Scaled-over or burned-out element, or a failed thermostat | Test both; replace the failed part |
| Pilot won’t stay lit | Thermocouple, flame sensor or gas valve | Diagnose and replace the part |
| Tankless unit shows an error or shuts down | Scale in the heat exchanger, or a clogged inlet filter | Descale and clean the unit |
| Relief valve dripping | High temperature or pressure, or a worn valve | Find the cause; replace the T&P valve if needed |
| Leak under the tank | Fitting or drain valve leak, or a rusted-out tank | Fix the fitting; a rusted-through tank gets replaced |
Dallas permit rules for water heater replacement
What the City of Dallas requires
- Permit: Dallas Code Chapter 52 lets plumbers make many like-for-like fixture replacements without a permit, “except that a permit is required for the replacement of boilers and water heaters.”
- Who can pull it: the city requires licensed contractors to be registered with the City of Dallas. A homeowner can get a permit only for a home they own and occupy that has a homestead exemption.
- Inspection: the replacement must pass a city inspection. Permits and inspections are managed through DallasNow.
- Contact: Planning & Development, 320 E. Jefferson Blvd., (214) 948-4480.
As Dallas requires, Staggs Plumbing is registered with the City of Dallas as a plumbing contractor, and we pull the water heater permit ourselves in DallasNow. If you rent, the property owner or manager typically arranges water heater replacement. We can work directly with them.
How a Dallas service call goes
Look
We check the tank, the venting, the gas or electric supply and the relief valve, and read the data plate for age and size.
Price
You get a written flat-rate price before any work: repair, and replacement if the tank is failing.
Fix
Most repairs take one visit. A tank that leaks or is badly scaled gets replaced.
Permit
For a replacement, we pull the Dallas permit and schedule the city’s inspection.
Repair, replace or go tankless?
- Repair a sound tank with a failed part: element, thermostat, thermocouple, igniter, gas valve, dip tube or drain valve.
- Replace a tank that’s leaking or rusted. Once the tank itself leaks, it can’t be repaired.
- Tankless saves space in a closet or a tight condo mechanical room. In Dallas’s hard water, plan for periodic descaling.
Water heater trouble in Dallas? Start here.
Do these in order:
- Leaking? Close the cold-water valve above the heater.
- Shut off the gas or power: gas control to OFF, or the electric breaker off.
- In an apartment or condo, tell the manager or HOA, and check for water reaching the unit below.
- Smell gas? Get out and call 911 and Atmos at 866-322-8667.
- Call us at (682) 284-0966 to diagnose it and get a written price.
Dallas neighborhoods we serve
We serve the northern and inner Dallas neighborhoods, including ZIP codes 75204, 75206, 75225, 75229, 75230, 75240 and 75248: Uptown, Lower Greenville, Lakewood, the M Streets, Preston Hollow, North Dallas, the Galleria area and Far North Dallas.
That’s where the city’s housing mix shows most clearly, from 1920s houses with closet heaters to apartment and condo buildings off the LBJ Freeway. Our Plano headquarters is just north.
Dallas water heater FAQ
Does Dallas have hard water?
Yes. Dallas Water Utilities puts hardness at 120 to 155 mg/L as calcium carbonate, about 7 to 9 grains per gallon. That’s at the boundary between moderately hard and hard.
Do I need a permit to replace a water heater in Dallas?
Yes. Dallas code lets many fixtures be replaced like-for-like without a permit, but it specifically requires one for water heaters and boilers. The work has to be done by a contractor registered with the city, or by a homeowner with a homestead exemption.
Where does Dallas water come from?
Six reservoirs: Ray Hubbard, Tawakoni and Fork feed the East Side plant; Ray Roberts, Lewisville and Grapevine feed the Elm Fork and Bachman plants through the Elm Fork of the Trinity River.
I rent. Who fixes my water heater?
Usually the property owner or manager. Report the problem to them right away, and shut the cold-water valve if the heater is leaking. We can work directly with the owner or manager.
Should I switch to tankless in Dallas?
It can make sense in a tight space or for long hot showers. Hard water forms scale inside the heat exchanger, so a tankless unit in Dallas needs regular descaling.
What does the rumbling in my water heater mean?
Sediment on the bottom of the tank. Water trapped under it boils and pops as the burner fires. Flushing helps; if the tank is old or leaking, replacing it is the lasting fix.
