What to do When Your Hot Water Heater Leaks

Stepping in a pool of water around your water heater can be stressful, especially when you don’t know the cause of the leak. If you think your hot water tank might be heating might be leaking, then you may wonder what you can do and how much it’s going to cost you.

A lot of them out homeowners don’t know how to find causes of leaks and ultimately end up paying large amounts of money to replace their water heater water heaters have a life span of about ten years, so before you consider a replacement try to investigate why you’re hot water is leaking.

Infinity plumbing can offer you advice about locating and identifying why your water heater is leaking if you know what to look for, it’s easy to find the cause of leaks. Most repairs and replacements will require the help of a plumber, but it’s good to know why the hot water tank is leaking to get your hot water back as quickly and easily as possible.

This blog will address why your water heater is leaking and what is the first steps you should take when you notice it happening.

Reasons Your Water Heater is Leaking

Sediment Buildup

You may not know that set the alarm to water that comes out of our tap overtime these minerals, and sediment buildup in your tank create hard water when the amount of sediment in the water is over a certain percentage of the sediment at the bottom of the tank builds up over a long period the tank will deteriorate and cause leaks it’s important to have the tank cleaned routinely preferably annually to avoid any damage from sediment collection.

Pressure

He didn’t think water creates pressure naturally, and a water heater can become damaged after a buildup of pressure if too much steam is in the tank, the water can leak through cracks and other loosened parts sometimes if extremely hot water is coming from the water heater for an extended amount of time it can damage the tank it’s important to be aware how much hot water you’re using and how much maintenance you’re giving your water heater.

Relief Valve

Every water heater has a drain called a relief valve which is the only way that water should be able to come out of your water heater. You can use this valve to empty sediment and contaminated water. If the drain valve is loose, it will begin to leak water. A loose drain valve is an easy fix because if you have a wrench in your home toolbox, all you have to do is tighten the drain valve, but if the leak is from the base of the relief valve, that means it is not tight enough, and it will require a new drain valve if you feel uncomfortable performing this task you can always ask a plumber to tighten or replace the drain valve for you.

Pipes

There are two pipes on top of your water heater. Inspect them, and you may see loose or damaged. They are your cold water inlet pipes and your warm water outlet pipes. If they have become fitted incorrectly or lost, this could be where the leak comes from. Loose pipes are easy to fix with your wrench.
Any other pipes connected to your water heater may also have loose connections and may spring a leak. If you have tightened all your pipe connections and the leak does not stop, you may have to replace pipes. A plumber can replace or repair pipes for you as well.

Damage

Whenever the water heater uses heat, the water will expand, and over time, this creates stress on the water heater tank and its components; sometimes, it can even cause cracks to form on the tank or other components. Also, if you have sediment buildup in your tank, this will cause cracks. If any components on your water heater have become damaged, you will need to replace the water heater.

Age

Unfortunately, water heaters are not immortal. They have a lifespan like any other appliance. The older your tank is, the more likely you are to gain leaks and over time, the water heater will deteriorate, especially if you use a lot of hot water. Try to monitor your usage of hot water to lengthen the lifespan of your water heater and beyond the lookout for any rest that has developed over the time that you’ve had your water heater. If your water heater is at the end of its lifespan, consider replacing it to avoid any contamination in your water or any severe water damage to your home.

What Should You Do First?

Investigate the Leak

After you’ve called your local and trustworthy plumber to fix your water heater, you might try investigating why the water heater decided to leak. Look at the exterior of your water heater and appliances. Make sure your AC isn’t leaking or your furnace. Put paper towels on the ground to test which direction the water is coming from.

Turn off the Power

Once you make sure that it is the water heater leaking, turn off the power. You should never work on your water heater while hooked up to any electricity or power source. If you have an electric water heater, flip off the switch in your circuit breaker to turn off the power and continue safely. If you have a gas water heater, there is a gas shut-off valve at the base of your tank near its gas line dedicated to turning off the power.

Shut off Cold Water Supply

Remember that your water heater has two pipes connected to the top of its tank. These two pipes are where the water supply comes from, and blue or red switches often designate it. If the switches are not color-coded, you can simply feel which one is hot or cool to the touch and turn off the shut-off valve as far as possible to turn off the cold water supply.

Diagnose the Leak

The first step to diagnosing the leak of your water heater is to find the exact location of the leak on the tank or components. Look at the top in the middle at the base and on all the surrounding attachments to locate any cracks, loose connections or other issues. If you find damage like a crack, you must replace your water heater. If it is a loose component, it is possible that simply tightening the component will fix the problem.

Schedule Water Heater Repair

Now is the time to ask for help from an HVAC or plumbing pro. Sometimes, there is just no DIY fix for a water heater issue; a professional will either be able to return your water heater to functioning order or suggest that you replace the water heater.

Say Goodbye to Leaks With Water Heater Repair in Broken Arrow

Generally speaking, tankless water heaters tend to last much longer than traditional heaters. They’re also easier to maintain and have lower energy costs. Ultimately, all these savings can make your bank account happy.

If you have questions about tankless water heaters or have an issue with your tankless system, you can count on us at Infinity Plumbing Services. We help with tankless water heater problems and solutions to quickly get your hot water back. Call us now if you want to schedule an appointment in Broken Arrow.

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Pam M.

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In 2020, Infinity Plumbing became the best choice we have made regarding plumbing services for our home.
Jared has maintained our tankless hot water system and keeps it performing as designed, along with household fixtures repair and replacement.
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Our thanks to the Infinity Plumbing Service team.
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Updated in June 2022
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Also impressed by the friendly staff in the office, who are very helpful/friendly/knowledgeable over the phone, and who can help with last-minute changes in appointment.
Again: I can highly recommend Jared and Infinity services

Posting in 2021
I found Jared and Infinity via excellent Google reviews. And indeed.... all good reviews were true !!! Jared did an excellent job fixing our tankless warm-water heater.
Almost more importantly, he very well explained the problems we were facing (taking the time, and not rushed) , and what to do to prevent future problems. It was clear he was very skilled and experienced on our model (we have the Navien brand). Moreover, Jared is extremely friendly, polite, and very respectful. I can highly recommend Jared and Infinity. And not to forget Marianne, who took care of my phone-calls to make the appointment, and alert me on Jared's arrival: She is very helpful and friendly, and eager to help or taking the time to explain. Looking forward to continue using this company for future work in our house!!!

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What to do When Your Hot Water Heater Leaks