No hot water has a short list of causes, and a homeowner can safely rule out half of them in ten minutes. Here is the same triage we run on the phone with Fort Wayne callers every week.
Electric Tank: the Usual SuspectsCheck the breaker first: water heaters live on their own 30-amp double breaker, and a half-tripped one looks deceptively normal, so flip it fully off then on. Still cold hours later? The usual failures are a heating element or a thermostat, both genuine repairs rather than replacements. Lukewarm-then-cold-fast usually means the lower element quit; a red reset button that keeps tripping means stop guessing and call, because something is overheating.
Gas Tank: the Usual SuspectsIs the pilot lit? On older units, relight per the sticker on the tank. If the pilot will not stay lit, the thermocouple is the classic culprit: a cheap part. Newer units with electronic ignition blink error codes on the gas valve; count the blinks and tell us the pattern when you call. If you smell gas at any point, stop, leave the area, and call the gas utility first, then us.
The Age QuestionWhatever the symptom, the tank's age sets the strategy. Under eight years: repair with confidence. Past ten, especially with our hard water scaling the tank from the inside: put the repair money toward replacement. The serial number on the label encodes the build date, and we will decode it for you on the phone.
What Not To DoDo not keep resetting a breaker or a high-limit switch that keeps tripping: it is tripping for a reason. Do not test elements with the power on. And do not drain a tank onto a finished floor without a plan for where fifty gallons goes.
Run the checks, then call (260) 555-0184 with what you found. Half these calls end with hot water the same day, and we will tell you repair-or-replace before a truck ever moves.