Water Heater Leaking

Water heater is one of the most essential household appliances and rarely gives any problems. What if you see a pool of water on the floor below it? Well, you are sure to get frustrated as probably there is a leakage. What do you do to fix the water heater leaking problem - call a plumber or do it yourself? Is the leak from underneath or top and what is the cause of the leakage are common questions that come to your mind? Here's the solution to these. Before you call a plumber, you can do the following things to know the cause and try troubleshooting.

Is the Heater Leaking?

Check whether the heater is actually leaking or not. Yes, this is common mistake that many make wondering that the heater is leaking when it is actually not. Basically the water collected is just due to condensation. Leaking at top can often be a result of condensation as cold water is heated.

Check the Hot and Cold Lines

The hot and cold line pipes are usually at the top of the heater. You can check the ball valves on both the lines. In case the nuts that are used to rotate the lever are loose, there are chances of water leakage at this point. Use a cotton swab to check if there is water leakage. An easy troubleshooting tip is to tighten these as required and check whether there is still any leakage.

Check the Drain Valve

A faulty or loose drain valve that is at the bottom of the heater is often the cause of the leak. All you need to do is tighten the drain valve. You can tighten the valve using a wrench. If the drain wall seems to be worn out, it needs to be replaced as it is the cause. If it doesn't work after tightening or if you need to replace it, call a professional to do the task.

Check the Temperature Pressure Relief Valve

A temperature pressure relief (TPR) valve is just besides the hot and cold water pipes. Well you can see water dripping from the TPR valve and wonder that here's the leakage. But let me tell you, this is the state of a perfectly functioning TPR. Yes, when there is excess pressure in the tank due to high temperature settings or excess heating of the water inside the tank, the TPR valve will release water. When the water inside becomes too hot, the TPR releases this water and prevents heater from rupturing. Make sure you do not touch the water dripping from this as it will be too hot. You can call a certified plumber in this case to get the temperature settings right. Also, remember that this TPR valve needs to be checked once in a year to ensure proper functioning.

Apart from the aforementioned things that can lead to problem, rust and corrosion can also be a probable cause. Basically you need to check the plumbing of inlet and outlet pipelines and the tank as well because these carry water and can easily get rusted leading to problems like leakage. Fitting points of the pipes must be checked as these might get loose enough to cause leakage. Sometimes you might also need to replace hot water heater. Always make a point to call a certified plumber to get the job done in the best way and have a perfectly working heater.