What to Do If Your Water Heater Is Leaking | Tips from Your Trusted Harvey, LA Water Heater Repair Service Provider
No one wants to walk by their water heater and discover a leak. In fact, water heater leaks rank up there in the most bothersome plumbing emergencies right behind flooding, sewage backups, and burst pipes. Water heaters affect the hot water in your home, so that is one thing most people do not want to live without for any length of time. If you notice a leak, it is time to call for water heater repair in Harvey, LA.
Before you call for water heater repair though, there are a few things you can do to help streamline your water heater repair. While the plumber can walk you through this process, if you are being charged hourly you may want to knock a few of these tasks like draining the tank out first to save yourself some money. At the end of the day however, to actually fix the leak you will need water repair in Harvey, LA so plan on giving them a call as soon as you see a leak.
Why Is My Water Heater Leaking?
If you have never needed water heater repair before, you are probably wondering what the cause of the leak may be. It’s usually impossible to tell until a licensed plumber takes a look, but there are some common causes, and there is a high probability that one of them is what is causing the leak in your home.
Corrosion- Over time sediment naturally builds up in the bottom of the water heater rank. There is nothing you can do about this, and it is what usually affects the lifespan of a water heater and why they don’t last forever. The sediment builds up and eventually leads to corrosion, holes, or cracking along the bottom of the tank. At this point you may be looking at water heater replacement instead of just water heater repair.
Loose Connections- This is the best possible scenario for you as a homeowner. Sometimes daily wear and tear simply causes an outlet or inlet water line to loosen some leading to a leak. Tightening or replacing the old water lines may be all that is necessary to stop the leak.
Broken Pressure Valves- The pressure valves are responsible for regulating and monitoring the pressure and temperature inside the water heater tank. If one of them breaks, this can cause leaks leading to the need for water heater repair.
Broken Drain Valves- When the drain valve breaks it causes water to leak out of the tank bottom. This is also a great problem to have as it can be easily replaced by any skilled water heater repair service usually
What to Do If You Have a Water Heater Leak
If you see a water heater leak, make sure you do these three things right away and then call for help from a water heater repair service.
Shut Off the Power
If you find a leak, the very first thing you need to do is turn off the water heater before the leak becomes a larger issue. If you have a gas water heater, then find the thermostat on it and switch it to OFF. This will shut off the gas so that you can work on the heater. If you have an electric water heater then you will need to open our breaker panel and cut the power off to your unit. Hopefully you have a unit on the breaker labeled “water heater,” otherwise it may take some trial and error. If you are unable to figure out whether you have cut the power or not then stop right here and wait for the water repair company in Harvey, LA. Saving a little on the hourly rate is not worth the danger of possible working with a water heater that is receiving energy.
Shut Off the Water
Next, turn off the water to the water heater as you don’t want to keep supplying it. The goal should be to decrease the amount of water that is allowed to leak out. Find the cold water line that runs into your water heater and look for the shut-off valve located on the line. Turn it to the right until the valve is fully closed. This should stop the water flow so that you can now drain your tank. Once again, if you can’t figure out how to turn the water off, stop and wait for the water repair company. The next step will be useless if the water is still coming into your tank.
Drain Your Tank
At this point, you can drain out your water heater so that you can control the flow of water and minimize water damage caused by the leak. Look for the drain valve at the bottom of the water heater and hook up a garden hose to it. Run the garden hose into a sump pit or to the floor drain and then open the valve.
On older water heaters the valve may look more like a spigot but the newer models have a drain stem with a place where you can place a screwdriver to loosen the valve. Sometimes even with the water drain open you will notice that the water is not draining properly. This is likely because there is a vacuum seal created inside the water heater. To break this open up any hot water faucet from anywhere in your home which will release air into the tank since the water is not able to flow. This releases the vacuum and in just about an hour your entire hot water tank should be empty.
At this point, you are ready to call a hot water heater repair service in Harvey, LA to get track fixing your water heater. They will likely be appreciative that the tank is empty and ready to help you get it back into working shape.
Of course, as mentioned if you are uncomfortable with any of these steps then don’t worry and just allow bluefrog Plumbing + Drain to take care of it for you. They are used to troubleshoot a water heater repair from top to bottom and will be glad to help drain and investigate the issue.
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