Your hot water is already out; the last thing you want right now is to be blindsided by exorbitant water heater service fees. If you’re calling around for estimates, these figures should give you a ballpark idea of how much you can expect to pay in Texas.

Remember that time in February 2021 when North Texas looked more like the North Pole after a bone-rattling blast of arctic air from the Rocky Mountains blew through the area, bringing snow, ice and historic subzero wind chills? Not the ideal time or your water heater to go down. The good news is, if you think your water heater may be in need of repair or replacement and you want to get ahead of the next weather disaster, average prices in the Dallas-Fort Worth area compare favorably with those of the state of Texas in general, as well as nationwide.

Read this for a rundown on the common causes of a water heater breakdown and their associated repair costs, plus a state-by-state breakdown of average water heater repair costs to help you get an idea of what you should expect to pay where you live, all told. 

The good news is: With any luck, after this, you won’t have to replace your water heater again for at least a decade. We suppose that makes the bad news pretty obvious: We regret to inform you that you're not gonna be able to buy yourself any more time with ye olde water heater. It’s time for a total replacement. Of course, your first question is, “How much is this gonna cost me?” And, of course — we’ve got the answer.

Walter Kidde Portable Equipment Company Inc., of Mebane, N.C., is recalling more than a quarter-million Kidde TruSense-brand smoke alarms and combination smoke-carbon monoxide alarms. The roughly 226,000 devices included in the May 6 recall alert have a defect that could result in failure to alert households to a fire. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, no incidents or injuries have been reported.