A water leak in your hot water heater is never fun and always inconvenient, no matter if the leak is a trickle or a deluge. Even if it does not seem very bad, you should schedule a water leak repair.
Do you know what to do if your hot water heater is leaking? If not, you could be facing massive water damage—and hundreds or thousands of dollars in repairs—in the near future.
If you want to be ready in case you experience a leak in your water heater, keep reading until the end of this article.
Turn off the Water Supply
When you notice water coming from your water heater and pooling on the floor, the first thing you need to do is turn off the water supply. Your water heater should have a shutoff valve attached to it. Inspect your water heater near where the cold water enters it. Once you find the valve, turn it off.
Some valves are shaped like a wheel. If that is the case for your water heater, turn it to the right until it stops moving. Other valves are shaped like handles, in which case turn yours 90 degrees from the position it is currently in.
It is possible that you either won’t be able to turn off your water heater supply valve or you won’t be able to find it. If you come up against this obstacle, turn off the main water supply valve to your home.
In the rare event that you cannot turn off either valve, contact an emergency plumber as soon as possible.
Inspect Your Hot Water Heater for the Source of the Leak
Once you have the water turned off, you can start to inspect your water heater. First, clean up any water that is on the water heater and on the floor. After you have the spills cleared, turn the water supply back on, and try running some hot water from a nearby tap. If you do not notice any new leaks forming, the water that was pooling on the floor and dripping from the heater was probably condensation and you don’t have to worry about fixing anything.
If the leak starts again, however, try to isolate the exact point it is coming from. Depending on where the leak is coming from, you may be able to tighten a connection to complete the water leak repair. It is important to know that working on a water leak repair on a water heater can be dangerous. If you do not know what you are doing, it is critical to call a professional.
Call a Water Leak Repair Expert
If you feel in over your head, there’s no need to worry. Call the plumbing experts at Custom Plumbing of Arizona. We don’t close, so contact us day or night, any day of the year. We will diagnose and fix your problem and be out of your hair so that you can get on with your day.