The issues related to home appliances are a common thing. If you have a water heater at your home, then it may have some leakage at some time.
Some of the leakages can be repaired while some need the water heater to be changed entirely.
If you are facing the issue of hot water heater leaking from bottom element, then this article will prove very useful for you as it will reveal the causes and detection methods for this issue.
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Hot Water Heater Leaking From Bottom Element
Hot water heater always gets a leakage more quickly than others just because it has a high pressure of water in the tank. Most of the hot water heater leaks from the bottom.
Hot Water Heater Leaks Occasionally:
Mostly the water heaters leak occasionally. It is because the pressure in the hot water tanks is too high or the tank is dealing with extremely hot water.
The hot water has a characteristic to create steam, which is added to the pressure in the tank. Now with this pressure the water will leak through cracks, and loose components.
If the temperature of the water is set on a high level, then it also adds to the pressure of the tank. So, you can say that hot water heaters often encounter leakage because of high water pressure.
What Causes a Water Heater to Leak?
There can be multiple causes of the leakage of the water heater that can cause discomfort for you. You need to first find out the cause and source of the leakage so that you can fix it.
The following are the causes of water heater leakage:
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Old Water Heater:
As the water heater gets old, the chances of leakage increase gradually. So, it can be said that old age is the cause of the water heater leakage at the bottom.
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Improper Fixation:
If the plumbers did not fix the water heater properly then it may start leaking.
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Improper Maintenance:
If the water heater does not get proper maintenance with time, it can cause leakage.
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Loose Drain Valve:
If the drain valve is not tight, leakage in the water heater can be observed.
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Higher Water Pressure:
If the pressure of water on the tank is high then it starts affecting the tank and after some time it may start leaking from the bottom.
What do you Do When Water Heater leaks?
When you get to know that your water heater is leaking then you should start taking action against it immediately. Do not consider it a small issue as it can change into a worse condition.
Now if you are unable to detect where your water heater is leaking then you should do the following:
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Shut Down Water Supply:
This is the first remedy to turn the supply of your heater off. Most of the water heater has a valve to shut off on their water supply line.
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Turn the Power Supply Off:
The second and important step is to turn off the power supply as well.
How to tell if Hot Water Heater is Leaking Gas?
If you have a suspicion that your water heater is leaking gas but not sure about it then you need to take some actions to find if there is a gas leakage in your heater or not.
Even if you did not have any expert skills to find it out you can still do some actions by yourselves to tell that your water heater is leaking gas or not. You can tell it in the following manners:
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Install a Gas Detector:
By installing a gas leak detector at your house that is safe and easy to operate.
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Keenly Observe:
Stand some time beside the hot water heater and listen to the sound of the gas to check if there is a leak. If you could hear a hissing sound of gas, then surely you can say that there is a leakage of gas in your heater.
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Call a Professional:
You can call a professional if you suspect a gas leakage but are unable to find it. One thing to remember is that gas leakage should not be taken lightly.
Why is Water Heater Leaking from Bottom?
If a water heater is not installed accurately then it can suffer from leakage. If the drain valve is not tight enough to secure the heater then it can cause a leakage in the heater.
With time, the high pressure of water can be a great alarm for leakage of the heater. If the water heater is old enough, approximately 10 to 12 years old, there are chances of leakage in the bottom of the tank. In that case, you should replace the water heater in this case.
How Do You Stop a Hot Water Heater from Leaking?
If you found water at the bottom of your water heater it does not always mean that you should change your water heater.
It can be simple to stop the leakage, and you can easily resolve the leakage issue by following the given steps.
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Check the Valve:
Check the relief valve that whether it is fixed properly or not. If it is loose then use a wrench to tighten it. If the water is still leaking, then it is best to change the relief valve.
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Replace the Drain Valve:
If the drain valve is cracked, then replace it with a new brass drain valve because they are more reliable.
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Inspection of the Pipes:
The water can be leaked because of the inlet cold water and outlet hot water pipes. This issue can be resolved by checking the pipes properly. You can tighten the pipe connections by yourself and can also get a technician’s help.
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Replace the Tank:
If the above reasons are not found, then there may be an issue in the inner tank. You need to replace the tank because it may be possible that you are using this heater tank for a long time.
Final Verdict:
Hot water heater leaking from bottom element is a problem that is found commonly. You can’t say that it cannot be repaired.
It is not as difficult as it sounds, and you can easily repair the leakage at the bottom of the hot water heater by following the guideline given in the article.