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.