Lakewood Plumbing Repair: Water Heater Leaking at Bottom? Do This.

So, you’ve noticed some water pooling around your water heater. The cause? The water heater is leaking! Uh oh. Is that serious? Perhaps.

Here’s what you need to know:

• If the leak is from around the drain valve (spigot)...have a plumber replace the drain valve. Easy.
• If the leak is from the tank itself...you’ll need to install a new water heater ASAP. Otherwise, your water heater could eventually burst and flood your home.

Drain valve/Spigot at the bottom of a tank water heater.

We had a client in Lakewood that, unfortunately, had the latter problem. She called us saying that her water heater was leaking at the bottom, and when one of our plumbing specialists arrived, he saw that the leak’s origin was the tank itself. So, he had to install a new water heater (50-gallon AO Smith).

In the meantime, you’ll want to minimize any water damage the leak could cause. So...

Do this before the plumber arrives

Find your electric panel and look for the breaker labeled “water heater” and switch it to “off.” (The label may be inside the panel door or next to the breaker itself). This should shut off power to the water heater.

Electric panel

Step 2: Turn off the cold-water supply

Now, you’ll want to look for the cold-water valve handle or dial feeding your water heater and turn it to the off position.

Shutting off the cold-water supply is important because:

• Preventing more cold water from entering the water heater will relieve some pressure in the tank. This relief will slow the amount of water leaking out and also help prevent the leak from worsening.
• If the tank bursts, you don’t want an endless supply of cold-water flooding into your home. No one wants that.

Client testimonial

“Marc R. was fantastic Installed our new water heater today and did a wonderful job. Great work ethic. Thanks.”

- Tammy B. from Lakewood