Water Heater Leaking From the Bottom in Fort Worth: What to Do Now

Stop the leak in four steps

1. Shut the cold supply. Close the valve on the cold pipe entering the top of the tank: a round handle turns clockwise, a lever goes crosswise to the pipe. If it's stuck or water keeps coming, close the house main.
2. Cut the power or the gas. Electric: switch off the heater's breaker, since an element heated dry burns out. Gas: turn the control knob to Off.
3. Protect the floor. Use towels or a wet vac, move stored items, and check the ceiling under an attic or upstairs unit. Clear any blocked drain-pan line. In older wood-frame houses, such as Fairmount's early-1900s bungalows or the Oakhurst homes near our Sylvania Avenue shop, which date from the 1920s on, a closet heater often stands on a wood floor, so check under it even for a slow leak.
4. Drain only if it's safe. Let the water cool for a few hours, run a garden hose from the drain valve to a floor drain or outdoors, and open a hot tap to let air in. Skip it if the valve is brittle plastic, won't turn, or the hose can't run downhill.

Where is the water coming from?

Water from above runs down the jacket and collects at the base, so a wet floor doesn't prove a bottom leak. Dry the tank and floor, lay paper towels on top and around the base, and check them every few minutes. Note whether the water is hot or cold, and look for white or green crust on fittings.

• Relief valve discharge. The temperature and pressure (T&P) relief valve has a pipe that runs down the side and ends near the floor. Water from it means the valve opened because of heat or pressure, or it is worn. Never cap or plug that pipe.
• Drain valve. The spigot near the bottom can drip from the spout or weep at its threads. A hose cap slows it for now; a worn valve is replaced, often with brass.
• Fittings above. The hot and cold connections, supply lines, relief valve threads and anode rod port sit on top. Each is a repair, not a new heater.
• Condensation. A gas heater refilled with cold water sweats on its flue, and the drops sizzle on the burner. It's common in winter and stops once the water is hot. An air handler sharing the closet or attic can also overflow its condensate line onto the same floor.
• The tank itself. Water that keeps coming from under the jacket or behind the burner cover after the water is hot, or a rusty seam at the base, means the inner tank has corroded through. A steel tank can't be patched.

A relief valve that keeps opening often points to the home's water pressure rather than the heater. Heated water expands, and a pressure-reducing valve or check valve on the main leaves it nowhere to go, so an expansion tank on the cold line may be needed. The plumbing code also calls for a pressure-reducing valve when household pressure tops 80 psi. See water pressure repair.

Gas water heaters: safety first

• If leaking water put out the pilot, leave it out until the burner and gas control are checked.
• Soot, scorch marks at the burner door or flame rolling out point to a venting fault that can push carbon monoxide indoors. Turn the control to Off and call.
• Keep gasoline and paint thinner away from a garage heater, and for any gas odor follow the gas warning at the top of this page. See smelling gas in the house.

Repair or replace?

Repair it when a valve, connector or fitting is at fault and the tank is sound (see water heater repair). Replace it when the tank leaks, and consider replacing when it nears 10 to 15 years, the usual life of a storage tank.

Fort Worth's Development Services guidance lists water heaters among plumbing work that needs a permit. The plumber doing the work pulls the permit. All work is done under Texas plumbing license # M-27587. Coupons: $150 off a new water heater, $0 dispatch fee with a repair, $50 off for new customers, 10% off for seniors, military and first responders. Comparing models? See water heater installation.

When to call at any hour

• Water keeps flowing with the cold valve closed, or you can't turn the valve.
• The leak is soaking into a ceiling, wall or wood floor, or reaching an outlet or wiring.
• The relief valve is spraying hot water or steam.
• You smell gas (leave first).

These are emergencies: call at any hour and we send our on-call plumber right away. A small drip that's contained and shut off can be booked at a time that suits you.

Leaking water heater questions

Get the leak handled

Call (817) 755-5621 and tell us where the water is, whether it's hot or cold, and the heater's fuel type. We serve all of Fort Worth and nearby towns.