Water Heater Repair in Boise, ID

Wells, the river and a wide hardness range

Veolia Water Idaho's 2025 report says 70% of its water comes from 81 wells in Boise and Eagle. The other 30% comes from the Boise River and is treated at the Marden and Columbia plants. Hardness across all sources averaged 105 ppm, about 6 grains per gallon, but single samples ranged from 13 to 219 ppm. A home fed mostly by river water and one fed by a hard well can be far apart, so the scale you find in a tank, or the rumbling it causes, depends on your neighborhood.

That top reading matters for tankless owners. Rinnai's manual lists 200 mg/L as the maximum total hardness for its heaters, and the hardest Veolia sample was above that. If you have a tankless unit, plan on descaling it at least once a year, as Rinnai recommends.

Cold water in winter, warm in summer

Veolia measured its water between 8°C and 28°C in 2025, roughly 46°F to 82°F, with an average near 61°F. Your heater has to raise that water to its set point, so in winter a tank takes longer to recover and a tankless unit can deliver less flow at full temperature. A heater that keeps up in August but runs out in January may simply be undersized, or it may have a failing element or burner.

Permits, doing it yourself and disposal

The City of Boise's homeowner's guide lists installing or replacing a water heater as work that needs a plumbing permit. Homeowners may do the work on their own primary residence, but they must get the permit and physically do the work themselves. If anyone else does any part of it, that person must be a State of Idaho registered and licensed contractor in the trade. Permits, fees and inspections are handled through the city's online Permitting and Licensing portal.

For an old tank, the Ada County Landfill takes metal appliances and scrap metal at its Diversion/Recycling Area and ships the metal to a local recycler. Its page doesn't name water heaters, so call ahead. The landfill is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays.