Plumbing Emergencies: Tips When Dealing With a Leaking Water Heater

27 January 2016
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Watching as your home experiences a plumbing emergency and waiting for an expert plumber can result in costly repairs. As a proud and concerned homeowner, you should be in a good position to do something when plumbing disasters strike. But that, of course, is difficult when you don't have the slightest clue about what to do in such situations.

A leaking water heater is a serious plumbing emergency because water can cause extensive damage if allowed to leak inside your home. As you wait for a professional plumber to come to your rescue, here are a few useful tips you can follow to help mitigate the magnitude of the problem.

Shut off water supply

First things first, you should shut off the water supply to avoid further leaking. This is because continuous leaking from your water heater can cost you a significant amount of money paid as repair costs for structural damage caused. If it is a water heater component such as a leaking drain valve that is causing you problems when it is opened, then you should tightly shut the valve itself. If the leak is emanating from a broken pipe, you should shut off the main of water supply line to your residence, which is usually the shut off valve found near your water meter.

Turn off the water heater

The next thing that you should do once water supply to the water heater is shut off is to turn off the appliance. When the water supply is shut off, pressure and heat will accumulate within the unit, and they may cause your water heater to burst, leading to further problems.

Stop the leaks

If shutting off the main water supply line or the faulty drain valve is not enough to stop the leaking temporarily, you will have to take more drastic steps. Firstly, you can place a position a large bucket under the leaking areas to collect and prevent water from potentially damaging your home. After that, you can use a utility knife to help you apply plumbers' epoxy on trouble spots such as loose joints to stop water leaks. Even rubber bladders can help prevent leaking water from ending up all over your floors.

Preparedness is key when it comes to plumbing emergencies. Following the above-discussed tips can considerably help you to moderate the severity of a leaking water heater problem. Nonetheless, you should always call in a plumbing company (like Sam's Local Plumbing) later on to check your water heater and get to the root cause of the issue.