A water heater leak can cause thousands of dollars in damage to your home. If it happens while you’re away, that could mean 40 gallons of water—and that’s just for starters.
Water heater leak Warning
Diane purchased her water heater in 2009 and promptly put it out of mind.
“You don’t look at your water heater very much unless it’s not working well, she says.
Out of sight shouldn’t mean out of mind. Lucky for Diane, she was home when the leak began.
“If we hadn’t been home it could have been a lot worse,” she added.
In this case, a cold shower lead to the discovery of a leaking water heater.
“I’ve seen water heaters open up at the bottom and and completely let go their 40 gallons at one time,” says Abacus Plumber Thomas Moreno.
Heading off a water heater leak is easy
Regular maintenance is the key to avoiding a mess. That includes: flushing it once a year, cleaning the burner assembly every four years, replacing the TMP every three years, and the anode ever seven years.
Diane’s was beyond saving. That’s the bad news. Her good news: changing out the water heater cleared out a closet—hers was located in a closet by the front door, of all places.
“It’s the original place the homeowners put it,” Diane remarked. “But, it doesn’t seem like a very good place.”
Actually this outdated water heater was in a horrible place—and that was just the start of its problems.
It didn’t have a drain pan, the type b vent is a single wall vent that can get the wall really hot, it wasn’t up to code because it is in a living quarters; If there was carbon monoxide leaking into the home no one would notice. Plus, spring loaded gas valves let off gas ever time the regulator is over pressured. Worst of all, there’s a lot of heat coming off that open combustion system.
Moving Up To Tankless Hot Water
Diane chose this time to move the water heater upstairs and upgrade to a tankless unit.
“We talked about going tankless many years ago and thought this would be a good opportunity to do it,” Diane said.
Tankless water heaters are less likely to have problems and have features to protect your home if they do, but no water heater should ever be neglected.
Prevent a water heater leak
The number one thing that people should take away from this whole thing is the importance of giving your water heater regularly scheduled, proper maintenance,” says Thomas.
IF you can’t remember the last time your water heater was serviced, it’s time you contact the trusted professionals Tom Tynan uses in his home: Abacus Plumbing, certified HomeShow Pros for over a decade.
