Hot Water Heater Problems

Is your water heater leaking? While this is just one of many potential water heater problems, a leaking water heater should be a cause for concern and the water heater itself needs to be repaired or replaced as soon as possible. Obviously upon noticing the water heater leaking, you should begin to look for where the water is coming from, how bad the leak is and whether or not it is repairable. We would hate to replace the water heater if the solution is a simple fix, so on that note lets try and diagnose the leak source and determine if it is something that can be repaired.

Unfortunately a leaky water heater is not as uncommon as we would like it to be, anytime you are dealing with an appliance that involves water or plumbing, there is bound to be a leak somewhere at some time. Some of the most common places that we see a water heater leaking from are the base of the water heater, the plumbing pipes at the top of the water heater and finally from the relief valve. Two of these problems are often easily fixed and one may require replacement.

Water Heater Leaking – How to Repair It:

So to start, lets assume that the water heater is leaking from the base of the tank. Ninety-nine percent of the time when you see a water heater leaking from the base it needs to be replaced. Why? Because its usually do to corrosion and rust. A water heater is simply a storage tank that holds water, after a few years of holding water the tank can begin to rust and deteriorate which leads to leaks and in some cases appliance failure. There is not a alternative way to repair tank corrosion and if it is at the point of leaking, you need to just go out and get yourself a new water heater.

Next up, lets look at the supply lines near the top of the tank. If you are noticing that the pipes going in and out of the tank are dripping, this is actually your lucky day. In most cases this leak can be fixed by simply using a wrench and tightening up the fittings. If the fittings are already tight, or tightening seemed to have little to no effect, don’t worry, you can still fix this. The first thing you need to do is turn-off the power to the water heater as well as the water supply. Once everything is turned off, use the relief valve to release any pressure built-up in the tank. Now you can undo the connection that is leaking and wrap those pipe threads with some plumbers tape, which is available at any home improvement store. Make sure that the threads are completely covered and you want to go around them a few times with the tape. Now simply put the pipe back together and tighten it up. Turn everything back on and see if the leak persists.

Last but not least lets discuss what to do if you find the water heater leaking from the relief valve. If the water is coming from the actually spout on the valve this may not be a problem. The relief valve is designed to allow water and excess pressure to release from the tank and sometimes it happens. However, you should also check the temperature settings to make sure that the tank is not turned up to high and ensure that the heater is working properly by turning on your faucets in the house and checking the water temperature. In some cases, relief valves do need to be replaced, but this doesn’t happen often.

If you believe that the water heater leaking is a result of a faulty relief valve, you can pick up a new one at just about any hardware store or plumbing supply house.

The relief valve allows your water heater to release pressure and prevent serious accidents. In all reality, water heaters have been known to blow-up as a result of too much pressure and a faulty relief valve, you don’t want this to happen in your home. Changing out a relief valve really isn’t too difficult and can be done by just about every novice homeowner and DIY warrior.

If you have read our page on water heater maintenance, you may have also noticed that checking your relief valve should be part of your yearly maintenance plan. We explained on the maintenance page how to test your relief valve to ensure that it is in working order and below you will find a simple video that illustrates how to replace it yourself.

How to Replace Your Relief Valve

A relief valve is just one of the many hot water heater problems that you may experience over the years. We encourage you to browse the website and discover how to maintain and repair your water heater to extend its life and performance. Not to mention adding an extra layer of safety in your home.

Every appliance found in your home will require some sort of maintenance and water heaters are not an exception to this rule. In most cases, you can set yourself on a yearly maintenance routine that will not only extend the life of your water heater, it can also increase the efficiency and help you to avoid any potential for hot water heater problems further on down the road.

I have included a number of maintenance tips and things to look for when inspecting your water heater. You can browse through those in the sections below:

Drain and Flush the Water Heater Tank

This is one of those routine jobs that almost no one ever does but it can drastically increase the life and efficiency of your water heater. You should be flushing your water heater about once a year and make sure that when you do, you get all of the sediment and grime out of the tank. It is this build-up inside that can start causing erosion and other problems along the line.

To get started you should first turn off the water supply and power to your water heater completely. Some water heaters have a switch that you can simply turn off the power while others may be hardwired in and you will need to shut-off the power at your breaker panel. Once the power and water is completely turned off you can begin draining the tank. You should be able to locate a faucet towards the bottom of the appliance, most of these are threaded for a hose connection, just attach your hose and run it outside for the water to escape. How long this takes really depends on the size of the water heater itself, so if you have a large tank capacity you should plan on waiting for a while.

After the holding tank has been drained completely you can briefly turn on the water supply and allow the water to run through the tank and out through the hose. You may need to flush this several times until the water coming out of the faucet is clear.

Check and Replace Insulation on the Pipes and Tank

I have seen some pretty raggedy insulation on water heaters in the past and this is often a first sign that a water heater is being neglected. You should be sure to check all insulation during your yearly maintenance inspections of the water heater in question. So where should there be insulation?

The water heater tank itself should be wrapped in insulation. Over time this can begin to fall apart, sag or mildew and should be replaced. This insulation helps to maintain the water temperature without putting an additional strain on the internal heating elements. You should also insulate the pipes leaving your water heater. Ideally these would be insulated throughout the entire house, though this is not always the case. Either way, you should at the very least insulate any visible pipes that you can locate to increase the efficiency of your appliance.

Both types of insulation can be purchase at your local home improvement store.

Adjust Your Temperature Settings

You should be able to locate the front panel on your water heater (usually held on with two screws) and remove it. Underneath you should find a temperature adjustment knob or screw. Usually this setting remains the same, but they can get out of whack due to vibration over the years. It is always a good idea to give this a quick inspection and make sure that the temperature is set in the optimal range for your unit.

Check Your Relief Valve

Believe it or not, a faulty relief valve can and has caused water heaters to blow up. You have to remember that these appliances are under a lot of pressure, the relief valve allows them a way to release that pressure safely, but if it isn’t working you could have a serious problem on your hands.

Testing these valves is pretty simple. You are going to want to turn off the power and cold water supply to your water heater before getting started. Once everything has been shut-off you should locate the valve either on the side or top of the tank itself. Place a bucket or container under the valve and open it up all the way. Once open, let go of the valve and watch to see if water continues running out. If the valve does not close on its own and water continues to pour out, you will need to replace the valve.

You can replace the valve by draining your tank at least part way and using a pipe wrench to remove the valve. Pick up a replacement at your hardware store and screw it back in, turn on the water heater for it to re-pressurize the tank, shut everything off and try it again to make sure that the new valve is working properly. These can come defective so make sure that it is working properly before putting up your tools for the day.