If you searched for water heater repair in Houston, TX, here is the honest answer up front: Houston Air & Heating cannot help with it. The line only handles heating and air conditioning calls, and in Texas a water heater falls under plumbing, a separate licensed trade. What this page can do is point you to the right kind of professional, show you how to check that person's license in a couple of minutes, and walk through the safety steps that matter before anyone arrives.
The same caution applies if an HVAC company offers to swap your water heater. Some businesses hold both a heating and cooling license and a plumbing license, and that is fine. The point is to know which license the job needs and to see it before work begins.
Water heater safety in a Houston home
Most water heater trouble is an inconvenience. These situations are not, and they come before any repair call.
Gas smell near a gas water heater
Walk out of the house right away and take everyone with you. CenterPoint Energy, which supplies natural gas across much of the Houston area, says not to use switches, phones or anything that could spark on the way out and not to touch the meter or valves. From a safe distance, call 911 and CenterPoint's gas leak line at 888-876-5786.
Carbon monoxide alarm sounding
A gas water heater burns fuel and vents exhaust, just like a furnace. If a CO alarm goes off, or several people feel headachy, dizzy or sick at once, get everyone outside into fresh air and call 911. Do not go back in until responders say it is safe.
Hot water spraying or pouring out
Scalding water can burn in seconds. Keep children and pets back, stay clear of the relief valve outlet, and call a plumber. Do not plug or cap the relief pipe to stop the flow.
Water around an electric unit or outlet
Water and electricity together are dangerous. Stay out of standing water near an electric water heater or nearby outlets, and let a licensed professional deal with the wiring.
Why water heater repair in Houston is a plumber's job
Texas licenses plumbers through the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners under the Plumbing License Law in Chapter 1301 of the Occupations Code. The law's definition of plumbing reaches the appliances and piping that supply, distribute or circulate water or gas in a building, which is exactly what a tank or tankless water heater is. The board's rules also say that installing a gas-fueled water heater or cutting into fuel gas piping is not the kind of incidental plumbing that an unlicensed maintenance worker may do under the law's maintenance exemption.
Heating and air conditioning is a different license. TDLR issues Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor licenses for heating, cooling and refrigeration work, and state law goes the other way too: a plumbing license alone does not let someone do air conditioning contracting. So an ACR license is the right thing to ask for when the furnace or AC fails, and a plumbing license is the right thing to ask for when the water heater does.
What this means when you call around
- Ask for a plumbing license number, not just a business name or a heating and cooling license.
- Ask whether a master plumber is responsible for the company's work. Texas requires a plumbing company that serves the public to have a Responsible Master Plumber.
- Ask who pulls the permit if the tank is being replaced.
- Ask for a written price before work starts, and whether haul-away of the old tank is included.
How to check a Texas plumber's license
The plumbing board runs a free Public License Search on its website. It takes a couple of minutes and shows far more than whether a license exists.
- Get the license number. Ask the plumber or company for it. Master Plumber license numbers start with the letter M.
- Open the TSBPE Public License Search at tsbpe.texas.gov and choose the plumbing license option.
- Enter the number without the letter. The board's instructions say to type the digits only.
- Open the record and read it. It shows whether the license is current, when it expires, endorsements, any disciplinary actions and whether a certificate of insurance is on file.
- For a company, check its Responsible Master Plumber as well, and confirm that person's license and insurance certificate.
- Save a screenshot of the record with your paperwork.
The board also offers a Find-a-Plumber tool on its website, which can help if you are starting from scratch.
Common water heater symptoms and what they often mean
This table is for describing the problem clearly to a plumber. It is not a repair guide: gas valves, burners, electric elements and wiring are for a licensed professional.
| What you notice | What it may point to | Safe for you to do |
|---|---|---|
| No hot water from an electric heater | A tripped breaker, a failed heating element or thermostat | Reset the water heater breaker once; if it trips again, leave it off and call |
| No hot water from a gas heater | An ignition or pilot problem, a gas supply issue or a failed control | Check whether other gas appliances work; leave the burner area alone |
| Water dripping from the relief valve pipe | A worn valve, water overheating, high household pressure or thermal expansion | Keep clear of the outlet, never cap the pipe, call a plumber |
| Puddle at the base of the tank | A leaking fitting, relief valve discharge or the tank itself | Move belongings away, note where the water seems to start, call a plumber |
| Water much hotter than usual | A thermostat or control problem | Warn the household about scalding and call; check the temperature at a faucet |
| Gas or rotten egg smell | A possible gas leak | Leave the house and call 911 and CenterPoint from outside |
Replacing a water heater in the City of Houston
According to the Houston Permitting Center, a plumbing permit is required to replace or install a water heater inside city limits. The permit has to be obtained by a master plumber who has registered a state license with the City of Houston. For a single-family home no plan review is needed, but the work must pass an inspection, and the permit stays valid for 180 days. Because the plumber pulls the permit, ask whether it is included in the price you are quoted.
Those rules cover the City of Houston itself. Suburban cities and unincorporated areas set their own requirements, so if you live outside Houston city limits, ask the plumber which rules apply and check with your city's building department.
A safer setting while you wait
Keeping household hot water at a lower setting is a simple safety step. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission advises 120 degrees Fahrenheit or lower to help prevent scald burns. It suggests checking with a cooking thermometer under a faucet first thing in the morning rather than relying on the dial. If your water heater runs on gas and you are not sure how to adjust it, leave that to the plumber.
Where Houston Air & Heating does fit
The line is a free phone number for heating and cooling only. When the furnace will not light, a heat pump blows cool air or the AC quits in August, a call to (832) 662-4107 gets picked up by an automated assistant, any time of day, which then patches you through to a heating and cooling business near you that is locally owned and runs independently of the line. You deal with that company directly for the diagnosis, the price and the payment. Plumbing and water heater calls are outside what the line handles.
About this line: Houston Air & Heating is a free phone line, not an HVAC contractor. It answers your call and connects you with an independent local heating and air conditioning company, which inspects, quotes and does the work, and which you pay directly. Companies may pay a referral fee. You never pay the line. Read how the line works.