A small leak in your water heater will not likely cause an issue unless left unattended. If your water heater is leaking, you may wonder exactly how long it will last?
The answer is.
If the tank itself is leaking, the heater will last you 0 years. A leaking tank means your water heater is past its life expectancy and will need to be replaced. If left unattended, a leaking water heater can fail catastrophic and cause major damage to your home.
In this article, we will answer some other questions you may have if your water heater is leaking.
Table of Contents
Is A Leaking Water Heater Dangerous?
A leaking water heater is not dangerous but is a serious problem because of the damage it can cause. If the pressure relief valve is broken or faulty and pressure builds up, then your water heater can become dangerous. However, this situation is rare but can lead to the tank exploding.
Here are few signs to look for to tell if your pressure relief valve is broken or faulty.
Flooding from the valve – Water is gushing from the valve it may need to be replaced. Contact your plumber for a repair.
High Pitch Whistling Noise – Hearing a whistling noise or excessive noise coming from the water heater is a sign your pressure relief valve may need to be replaced.
Corrosion – Mineral build-up or experiencing rusty red water from the hot tap could mean you have corrosion the in-tank and the valve may need to be cleaned or replaced. Call your local plumber to have the water heater inspected.
If your tank has ruptured at the seams, it’s likely the pressure has reached a high level and cause the tank to rupture. Your water heater will need to be replaced.
Is A Leaking Water Heater An Emergency?
A leaking water heater is an emergency and should be replaced right away. It’s important to shut off the water supply so the water heater doesn’t continue to draw and leak. You can do this by turning off the cold water supply.
Can You Use Water If Water Heater Is Leaking?
You can use water if your water heater is leaking. However, this may cause the leak to get worse or cause damage to the floor or attic. It’s best not to use the water heater until you know where it is leaking from and how bad.
It’s understandable if you just discovered you have a leaking water heater at 8 pm and the family has to shower and the plumber can’t come until the next day. It should fine to take a couple of quick showers for the night then turn off the water to the heater.
Why Is Water Leaking From The Bottom Of My Water Heater?
If water is leaking from the bottom of your water heater tank, then the tank has rusted through from years of sediment build-up.
The water could also be leaking from the drain valve. The drain valve is at the bottom of the tank and is used to drain the tank to make repairs and maintenance.
Sometimes these valves get bumped, which will cause them to open and leak a little so make sure the valve is closed. If leaking has stopped, then it was the valve not completely closed causing the leak. If water is still leaking, the valve is faulty and will need to be repaired.
How Do You Shower With A Broken Water Heater?
If you find yourself in need of a shower and your water heater is broken here are a couple of ideas to get you through. Of course, you can go the cold water route if your heater is no longer making hot water.
If the heater is still working but leaking, you can always use it. Just be aware it may cause the leak to worsen if you are in a real pinch and don’t have hot water, and live in a warmer climate. Connect all your garden hoses and lay them out in the sun while they are filled with water. The sun will surprisingly heat the water quite a bit. Depending on how much house you have, you may get a tub full of hot water.
Water Heater Maintenance Tips
Here are a couple of maintenance tips to keep your water heater running at top-notch and extend the heater’s life. Making sure you or your plumber performs a yearly flush to keep the water free of mineral build-up. A homeowner can learn to do this if you would like to avoid hiring a plumber yearly for maintenance. Some homeowners owners rather not mess with the water heater, which is understandable for some. If you hire a plumber, you can expect to pay anywhere from 150- 250 for the yearly flush. Depending on how many water heaters you have and the age.
It’s also important to check and replace the anode rod every couple of years. The rod itself is relatively cheap, fix about 30 dollars. This is also something a handy homeowner can do themselves. The anode rod is an important piece of the water heater’s longevity; if the anode rod is left to deteriorate to nothing, it will leave your tank vulnerable to corrosion.
How do you remove sediment from a water heater?
- Turn the electricity off to the water heater. Make sure the breaker is all the way flipped, and use a non-contact voltage tester to make sure no power is present. Never touch or work on a water heater, flooded water heater, or stand on saturated wet ground without turning the power OFF!
- (Gas Heaters) Turn the gas valve OFF
- Leave Water On! Hook up hose to drain valve – You will want to leave the water on at first. This will help establish some flow, and the pressure will help with sediment. The drain valve is located at the bottom of the unit. Once the hose is hooked up, run it outside to a safe place before turning the valve on.
- Test Drain Do this if the Valve is Clogged – If the drain seems to be clogged, you can hook up your garden hose to pump a small amount of water into the tank to break up sediment unclog the valve. You will need to hook up a washing machine hose to the valve first, hook that to your garden hose, and an outside spigot. Once connected, turn on the water at the outdoor spigot for a few seconds. This will flush the valve clean, so you can now proceed with draining it.
- Turn Water Off – Once you have established some flow, you can turn the water off to the tank, or it will just continue to fill up. Turn the water off by shutting off the valve above the water heater, or you can turn off the main to the house.
- Open up the hot water valve on the tub. Just the HOT. This will not only release the hot water pressure but let air into the line so the water heater will drain. Don’t worry about turning off the tub hot water valve just yet. It’s best to leave it open so you know when the tank is refilled and can turn the electricity back on.
- Drain Tank – Open valve by rotating counter-clockwise.
- Refill Tank – Turn the cold water back on to refill the tank; make sure the tank is full before turning on the electricity. This could take 15- 20 min depending on the size of the tank.
- Turn On Tub– If the tub hot side is not already on, go ahead and do that now. When water comes out of the HOT side, the tank is full.
- Turn on Electricity.