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Diagnose the Leak — Thoroughly Inspect Your Water Heater for Issues

Beginner1 hour

Part of project

Water Heater Replacement Guide: Age, Signs & Steps · Step 2 of 4

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In this video

Observe the area around the water heater for puddles of water. Check the drain valve at the bottom of the tank to ensure it's not the source of the leak. Follow the T&P (Temperature and Pressure Relief) valve's discharge pipe down to the floor to see if water is dripping from it. Tap on the expansion tank to check if it's full of water; a solid, non-hollow sound indicates the internal bladder has failed and the tank is water-logged, which is the likely cause of the T&P valve leak due to excessive pressure from thermal expansion.

Goal: Water Heater Repair

  • A working expansion tank should sound hollow on top (where the air is) and more solid on the bottom (where the water is). A completely failed tank will sound solid and feel heavy.

Used in this video

  • Flashlight (brand: Unknown, Tool Type: Hand Tools, Power Source: Battery-powered, Purpose: Illumination) · optional — To illuminate the area around the water heater to find the source of the leak.
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FAQs

What safety precautions should I take when inspecting my water heater for replacement signs?

Always turn off the power to electric water heaters at the breaker and the gas supply for gas models before inspection. Be cautious of hot surfaces and potential water leaks. If you detect any gas odor, leave the area immediately and contact your gas company or emergency services.

What specific tools or equipment are essential for thoroughly inspecting my water heater as part of this guide?

For this initial assessment, a flashlight is crucial for inspecting dark areas and potential leaks. A camera or smartphone can be helpful to document any observed issues like rust or corrosion. Keep a pen and paper handy to note down model numbers and observations.

The guide says "beginner" difficulty and "1 hour" estimated time. Does this cover the actual water heater replacement?

No, the "beginner" difficulty and "1 hour" estimate apply solely to the *assessment phase* of deciding if your water heater needs replacement. Actual water heater replacement is a complex job that usually requires professional tools, significant time (several hours), and expertise, making it an advanced DIY project or best left to a qualified plumber.

I can't find the manufacturer's label or determine the age of my water heater. What should I do?

The label is typically a sticker located on the side of the tank. If it's unreadable, search online using the water heater's brand and model number; many manufacturers provide online date code decoders. If all else fails, a plumber can often identify the age during a service call.

Transcript
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So here we get a water heater, we've got to leak on the floor as you can see here, electric water heater, so we kind of looked already, double check to see if there's any water coming out of the drain here, that's not it, but we did however, notice that we've got water coming out of the pressure, the piping that goes to the pressure relief valve, so 9 times out of 10, that usually is a problem with an expansion tank. This expansion tank here, what allows the water inside of the system to do is have a place to expand. When the water heater turns on, when it heats up, molecules expand, they have to have somewhere to go, and you don't want that trying to burst the pipes in your plumbing system. So you have an expansion tank, and inside of this expansion tank, you have a little rubber bladder that's full of air on one side. So as the water heats up, it's able to push against that air, compress it as it cools down, it's able to expand back out, water temperature heats back up, expands against that, that compresses that air, compresses it, back and forth, that's basically how it works. But after a while, these things get little holes in them, and they become full of water. Now she can come here and see this one's full, so what we're going to do is just turn the

Auto-generated transcript. May contain errors.