Most Coats homes were built before 1980, with a median year of 1978, so water heater repairs often involve an older tank and installation along with a failed element, thermostat, thermocouple or valve. A leaking tank shell needs replacing. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Coats.
What's usually wrong with a Coats water heater?
For electric units, failed elements and thermostats top the list; for gas or propane, thermocouples, igniters and gas valves. In older homes, the installation itself can cause trouble: a vent that doesn't draft well can snuff a pilot, and old wiring or a worn shutoff can stress an electric heater. With about 55% of Coats homes built before 1980, a plumber will check the vent, gas connector, relief line and drain pan as well as the part that failed.
How does Coats water affect my heater?
The Town of Coats doesn't treat its own water. It buys Cape Fear River water from Harnett Regional Water through metered connections. The town's 2025 report lists both chlorine (1.43 ppm average) and chloramines (2.2 ppm average) as disinfectants. Hardness isn't reported, so sediment is checked by draining the tank. Chloramine can wear rubber washers and seals over time, which explains many small drips at drain valves. Lead and copper sampling in 2025 found no homes above action levels.
What should I do if I smell gas?
Leave the house right away without operating switches or relighting anything. Call 911 or Piedmont Natural Gas at 800-752-7504 from outside; for propane, also call your propane supplier. A plumber can repair the heater once the gas side has been cleared.
A quick way to narrow things down before calling: on an electric unit, check whether the breaker has tripped and whether the reset button on the upper thermostat has popped. On a gas or propane unit, look through the sight glass to see whether the pilot is lit. If water is on the floor, find out whether it's coming from the top connections, the relief valve pipe, the drain valve at the bottom, or the tank itself. Those details help the plumber bring the right parts and judge whether a repair makes sense before arriving.
Permits in Coats
Harnett County Inspections handles plumbing inspections for Coats, but the town must first grant a zoning permit. The plumber can walk you through it if a replacement is needed.
Water Heater Repair questions in Coats
Can the disinfectant in town water shorten a water heater's life?
Is a permit needed if the plumber says the heater has to be replaced?
What keeps the pilot on a gas water heater from staying lit?
Why does the tank rumble or crackle while it heats?
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