East of the river
Water Heater Repair in St. Paul, MN
Same river, different utility, different gas company. Here is what changes when you call from St. Paul.
St. Paul sits across the river from Minneapolis, but almost nothing about its utilities matches. Water comes from St. Paul Regional Water Services. Gas and electricity both come from Xcel Energy.
The houses share a lot with Minneapolis, though. Much of the city is older housing with full basements, and the water heater sits down there next to the furnace in most of them.
Water heater repair in Highland Park and other St. Paul neighborhoods
Highland Park, in the southwest corner of St. Paul along the Mississippi, has its own ZIP code, 55116. Across town, Payne-Phalen, Dayton's Bluff and the North End hold many of the older frame houses, and Frogtown sits west of downtown.
St. Paul runs its own permit office. The Department of Safety and Inspections, usually shortened to DSI, issues plumbing permits, and its application gives gas and electric water heaters their own line and their own fee. A swap in a Highland Park basement goes through DSI the same way as one on the East Side.
Water heater calls from St. Paul are mostly about gas tanks. Pilots go out, burners refuse to light, and old tanks start leaking at the base. Duplex owners often end up replacing two heaters on one visit. A tankless install in the older neighborhoods usually means a bigger gas line from the Xcel meter, because the original pipe was sized for a furnace and one tank. An emergency usually means water on the basement floor or a gas smell, and for a gas smell Xcel gets the first call.
Where St. Paul water comes from
Regional Water Services draws Mississippi River water at Fridley and sends it into a chain of lakes that feeds Vadnais Lake. From there it travels to the treatment plant at McCarrons in Maplewood. The utility added softening in 1941, and its monthly mineral report for January 2023 showed treated water at about 5.3 grains per gallon.
That is moderate hardness. A tank on St. Paul water still collects some sediment, but far less than one on untreated suburban well water. A flush every year or two keeps it in check.
Some lake water flavors come through in late summer. Taste and odor changes on both taps are a utility question. A sulfur smell on the hot side only is a water heater question, usually the anode rod reacting with the water.
Gas and power from Xcel
Xcel Energy supplies both natural gas and electricity in St. Paul. If you smell gas near the water heater, leave the house and call Xcel's gas emergency line from outside. They come out to check for leaks.
If the water heater pilot is out but every other gas appliance works, the problem is the heater. If the furnace and range are dead too, the problem is the gas supply, and Xcel needs to hear about it first.
For electric tanks, a tripped breaker that will not reset is a heater fault. A whole-house outage is Xcel's. After the power comes back, give an electric tank an hour or two to recover before deciding something broke.
Old houses in Summit Hill, Mac-Groveland and Como
The big houses on and around Summit Avenue, the foursquares of Macalester-Groveland and Highland Park, and the smaller frame houses near Como and Payne-Phalen all tend to have deep basements and old pipe.
Galvanized steel water lines are still around in many of them. When a plumber disconnects an old tank, those fittings can crack or crumble. Ask whether the quote covers replacing a few feet of pipe on each side of the heater. It usually costs little and saves a second visit.
Old chimneys matter here as well. When an old furnace leaves the chimney, the water heater may be stuck alone on a flue too big for it. A liner or a power vent tank fixes that. Costs and repair choices for these older homes tie back to the guide on Minneapolis water heater repair.
Duplexes and rentals on the East Side and in Frogtown
St. Paul has many older duplexes and small rental buildings, especially on the East Side, in Frogtown and around the Midway. Like Minneapolis duplexes, many have two tanks in one shared basement.
If you rent, report a water heater problem to your landlord or property manager right away and in writing. If water is on the floor and the owner cannot be reached, shut the cold valve over the tank to slow it down, and keep calling.
If you own the building, label each tank with the unit it serves and keep a note of the install date on each one. When one tank fails, the other is usually close behind in age, and replacing both on one visit can save a second trip charge.
Questions from St. Paul homeowners
Who do I call about a gas smell in St. Paul?
Leave the house and call Xcel Energy's gas emergency number from outside. Once Xcel says the house is safe, call about the water heater.
Is St. Paul water hard?
Moderately. The utility softens it at the plant, and a January 2023 report showed about 5.3 grains per gallon. Many homes do not need a softener for the heater's sake.
Why does only my hot water smell like rotten eggs?
That usually comes from the anode rod inside the tank reacting with the water. A plumber can swap the rod for a different type.
Do St. Paul jobs need a permit?
Water heater replacement in most cities needs a permit. The plumber doing the job should check with the city and pull it.