In the last 24 hours, the water heater guy has been to our house 3 times. Our hot water has been pretty iffy sometimes not lasting through a shower and last night we lost hot water completely because the pilot went out. The water heater guy had problems getting the burner to light reliably and we’re on our third thermostat in 24 hours. The water heater guy is stumped and suggested having PG&E come out to check the gas pressure. They’re coming tomorrow, although the really annoying thing is that the timeframe for the “appointment” is all day. Luckily, we have hot water at the moment and I’ve gotten the burner to fire up, though I’m worried that the pilot light might go out again. I hope not.
I’m planning to put in a tankless water heater even before my current one dies, since it’s about 10 years old. A lot of people have them here and they’re very nice. They take up a lot less room and you get hot water as soon as you turn on a faucet – you don’t have to run the water & wait for it to get hot. They’re also supposed to use less electricity.