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Water heaters add incredible comfort to our daily lives. When they are operating properly, homeowners don’t give them a second thought. So what to do if you find yourself with poor pressure or chilly stream of H2O in your morning shower?  It might be a leak—start by looking for water around the tank and try to determine the source.

Pipes

Check all the pipes around your boiler. Leaks can spring from those that are too loose, that have been fitted together improperly, or have become corroded. Depending on the nature of the problem, the fitting can either be replaced or a professional should be called out to fit a new part.

Vent

If you have a gas powered water heater then this will feature a vent at the top of the boiler unit. This can become clogged up and blocked, which causes a buildup of water and a possible leak. For this reason, the vents need to be cleaned out regularly.

Drain Valve

One of the most common reasons for a water heater to leak is a loose drain valve. The drain valve will slowly leak water if it becomes loose. It is easy to stop a leaking drain valve by tightening it up with a wrench. Just be careful not to over tighten the drain valve. Tighten it until it is snug, but do not force it.

Too Much Pressure

Another common reason for a water heater to start leaking is when the tank builds up too much pressure inside. When this happens, the excess pressure will force the water to leak out of the tank to reduce the pressure. This most commonly occurs because the temperature on the hot water heater is set too high. 

Another thing that can lead to excess water pressure is if the exterior water supply to a house comes in at too high a pressure. A defective temperature pressure relief valve can also lead to an excess buildup of pressure in a hot water heater.

Condensation

Sometimes the hot water heater will trick homeowners into thinking there is a leak when there is in fact nothing wrong. It is natural for condensation to occur on a hot water heater. When cold water first enters the inside of the tank, it can lead to condensation when the outside air is hot. This is not a major problem. Homeowners can simply wipe down the hot water heater without worrying about the condensation leading to a serious problem.

Corrosion

Hot water heaters are designed to last for many years. As they approach the end of their life cycles, rusting and corrosion start to take their toll. When the corrosion gets bad enough, it can start to allow the water from the tank to leak out. When this happens, it is a definite sign that the hot water heater needs to be replaced. Failure to do so will eventually lead to a complete failure of the tank that will cause flooding in the house.

In the case of our example, this water heater had been leaking for an extended time.  The bottom of the hot water heater had rusted out and created a hole.  Additionally, the hot water heater was sitting on a plastic drip pan that was old and cracked.  The drip pan was not holding any water and had been slowly leaking through the floor.  We recommend using a metal drip pan to avoid this part of the issue. 

 


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