What Can Cause A Hot Water Heater To Leak And What To Do About It Before A Plumber Arrives?

A hot water heater will last for more than 10 years if you take good care of the unit. Even then, there is a chance of your hot water heater leaking. A minor leak in your water heater is not going to be the end of the world. In fact, such minor defects can be patched up easily before you call a professional plumber for the job. Here are some important things you need to do before calling a professional plumbing service when you notice a hot water heater leak.

The first and most important thing to do is to cut the power source leading to the heater. In case you have a gas water heater, check the thermostat and there is a knob that has three settings – On, Off, Pilot. Turn the knob to Off before shutting off the gas. This will make the heater safe to work on. The next step you need to take is to turn off the water supply to the unit. Detect the cold water line that leads to the heater and close it. This will cut off the water supply to the heater.

You should drain the remaining water from the tank. Find the drain valve located at the bottom of the heater and attach the garden hose to it. Run the hose to the sump pit in the garden. Now open the valve. If the water doesn’t flow well even after opening the drain valve, it means there is a vacuum in the heater. Open a hot-water faucet in the house to break this vacuum. Once you drain the heater, the next step is to call our plumbing experts to look into the matter.

Make sure that you call a professional plumbing service such as our company to deal with all types of hot water heater problems.