You Came Home To A Puddle Of Water Right Next To Your Hot Water Unit, What Should You Do?
A Leak in your Hot Water System is not something that you should put off for another day. A simple leak in your hot water system can be a symptom of a much larger issue with your hot water and can lead to a more serious problem. A dripping leak today might become a gushing one tomorrow. Typically, our hot water system has an average lifespan of 10 years depending on how well-maintained they are.
We usually don’t pay much attention to this appliance since we barely have any issues with it. The only time that we take notice is when we already encountered a problem with our hot water. So a small leak might even go unnoticed for quite some time until we barely get any hot water running out of the taps or worse, no hot water coming out at all.
If You Got A Leak In Your Hot Water System, These Are The Things That You Should Do
1. Identify Where the Leak is Coming From
Check if the leak is coming from the top of the tank or the bottom of it. Typically, it’s much easier to fix a leak on the top of the tank and one from the bottom. A bottom leak usually indicates that there is a problem with the tank itself.
Over time, the tank can accumulate residue inside which can cause the tank itself to spring a leak. If that is the cause of the leak, then you might consider replacing the unit. If the leak is coming from the pressure release valve, check the volume of water coming out from it.
It’s normal for water to come out of the pressure release valve but if you get a puddle of water or a bucketful of water from the leak, then you might to have the valve replaced. If the leak is coming from the top of the tank, it can be due to a faulty anode rod, a loose pipe or a leaking valve on the cold water pipe.
If the cause is a faulty Anode Rod, then you would need to call your hot water experts and have it checked as soon as possible since it can lead to more serious problems with the hot water system. If the leak if from the pipes connecting the hot water system to your taps, then that is a different problem altogether.
2. Isolate the Water from your Hot Water System
Turn off the water in your hot water system by turning off the black tap or valve. This is usually located at the bottom portion of the tank. If you can’t locate the valve, your next best course would be to turn off the main water meter. This should stop the leak soon.
So, what causes the leak? Here are some of the main reasons:
A Corroded Anode Rod
The Cold Water Inlet Valve is Leaking
A Loose Pipe Fitting
The Tank Itself is Leaking
A Leaking Temperature and Pressure Relief Valve
3. Turn Off your Hot Water System
If you got a Gas Hot Water System, locate the gas isolation valve and turn that off. If you are unable to find it, turn off the gas by shutting off the main gas meter. If you have an electric, solar or heat pump, turn off the circuit breaker on your main board so as to cut off the electricity on your hot water system.
4. Immediately Call your Expert Plumber to Take a Look at your Hot Water System
Remember, fixing the issue as early as possible for even such a simple leak in your hot water can prevent serious problems from occurring and can extend the lifespan of your unit.
Just dial 13 10 91 and we’ll send a hot water specialist in the next 2 hours to immediately rectify your issue. We are serving Canberra, Newcastle, Central Coast, Hunter Valley, Lake Macquarie, and Port Stephens.
The Reason Why the Hot Water System Leaking
There are a lot of possible causes of hot water system leaking, and homeowners must be able to identify and know before it gets worse and leads to property damaged. The most common hot water leak is a defacement tank when you have a water tank for hot water except if you have a stainless hot water tank, When it starts to corrode and rust this is the starting point of a hot water tank crack and leads to a hot water system leak. A defective pressure relief valve if this became dysfunctional could no longer release pressure properly this can be the cause of hot water leaks and sometimes this can be the cause of a hot water tank burst. The leaking hot water system also came from its hot water sacrificial anode rod when this metal is corroded and can no longer protect its tank this can lead to leaks.Â
Hot water system pipes and fittings overtime when this pipes fitting system become loose after several uses This can also be the cause why your hot water system leaking. Insulation is damaged when this can no longer prevent heat and the water temperature fluctuate this can also lead to your hot water leaks.
At The Plumbing and Electrical Doctor, we have made these articles downloadable to PDF for our customer’s convenience.