Water Heater and Appliance Leaks

Tanks corrode inside and usually last 8 to 12 years. Rust at the base, water under the tank and popping noises are warnings. A drain pan, a leak sensor and an automatic shut-off protect the floor.

Rubber hoses split without warning. Replace them with braided steel and turn the valves off when away for long periods. Upstairs laundry rooms need a drain pan.

Supply and drain connections under the sink and the door seal can leak. Look for swelling flooring in front of the dishwasher.

Plastic ice maker lines crack. Replace them with braided lines and pull the fridge out once a year.

Supply lines and fill valves fail. A toilet that runs or refills by itself is wasting water and may be leaking.

Inexpensive sensors near each appliance alert your phone. Some connect to valves that shut off water automatically.

Close the fixture valve or main valve, photograph and call. See emergency water removal.

A certified plumber repairs the line or heater. A restoration provider dries the house.

Sudden appliance failures are often covered; long-term leaks often are not.

Once a year, look at every hose, line and the water heater. It takes twenty minutes.

The temperature and pressure relief valve has a pipe that runs toward the floor. Water dripping from it can mean pressure or temperature is too high, or that the valve is failing. Have a certified plumber look at it.

A small tank above the water heater absorbs pressure changes. If it fails, pressure rises and stresses the heater and fixtures. A plumber can test it.

Many newer homes put the laundry upstairs. A washer hose that splits sends water through the floor into the ceiling below. A drain pan under the washer, braided hoses and a leak sensor are cheap protection.

Before a long trip, turn off the water to the washer, or close the main valve. Many appliance floods happen while no one is home.

If water reached a gas water heater's burner or controls, do not relight it. Have it checked first.

Water from supply lines and water heaters is usually clean, so carpet and drywall can often be dried if work starts fast. See structural drying.

Most appliance floods are preventable with braided lines, drain pans and sensors, and a yearly look.

Tankless units hold less water but their fittings and valves can still leak. Check under and around them.

Sediment collects at the bottom of tank heaters. Draining a few gallons once a year, as many manuals suggest, helps the tank last.

A plumber can check and replace the anode rod, which corrodes instead of the tank and can extend the tank's life.

If the tank is over ten years old and showing rust or leaks, plan to replace it before it fails.

A water heater in a garage is less risky than one in a closet next to carpet or above a finished room. If yours sits near finished floors, a pan, a sensor and an automatic shut-off valve are worth the small cost.

A certified plumber repairs or replaces the heater or line. For the water on floors, ceilings and in the crawl space, call (360) 325-8833 for a restoration provider.

A sudden tank rupture or hose burst is usually covered as sudden damage, while the old part is not. A slow leak may not be covered.

Show everyone in the house where the water heater valve, the washer valves and the main valve are. In the first minute of a leak, closing the right valve limits the damage more than anything else.

Look under the sink at the dishwasher supply and drain connections every few months. A swollen toe kick or a soft floor in front of the dishwasher is a sign of a slow leak under it.

Pull the refrigerator out once a year and check the ice maker line and the floor behind it.

Once a year, walk the house with a flashlight and look at every hose and supply line, the water heater and the floor under each appliance. Replace anything cracked, bulging or rusty. It is a twenty-minute habit that prevents some of the most expensive indoor floods.

Water spreading from an appliance? Close its valve and call (360) 325-8833.

Braided lines, drain pans and sensors prevent most appliance floods.

Questions about water heater and appliance leaks? Call (360) 325-8833 to reach a local Olympia provider, 24 hours a day.