Skip to main content
True Value
Project

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

Helpful?

In this video

Begin by diagnosing the source of the water heater leak. After noticing a pilot light issue and water in the catch pan, conduct a thorough visual inspection. Check the bottom of the tank, the area around the pressure relief valve, and then examine the top of the tank for any signs of moisture or rust stains. In this case, rust stains are found originating from the cold water inlet nipple, indicating it is the source of the leak.

Goal: Identify Leak Source

  • Water runs downhill. Start your inspection from the top of the water heater and work your way down to trace the path of the leak.

Used in this video

  • Flashlight · optional — To illuminate the area around the water heater for a better visual inspection.
81.4K views31315 minutes
The Hands On Channel

32K subscribers

View Channel

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
Hide

Hey guys, we're back here looking at my water heater, never a dull moment on the homestead. A couple days back, this pilot light went out on this unit and we noticed that because the when you try to take a hot shower and the hot water heater hasn't been on in a while it gets pretty cold pretty fast and so after that I came out here, opened this up and started investigating, looking around, seeing what was going on. I restarted the pilot light a couple of times, it went out again later on and as I was looking around and poking around down here, I noticed that there's water down in that bottom, that catch pan, that tray, it's not a whole lot, you can see hopefully the shine on that but and you know that's not totally uncommon for just a tiny bit to be down in there but there's a little more than usual and sometimes these relief valves can can trip off and that can be your problem, they'll let a little bit of water out, middle seat out, usually it'll be close to the proximity to the bottom of that pipe though but it's not really in that zone necessarily, it's probably about a eight-danch all the way around. So I started looking further, I thought well okay, you know water runs downhill, let's check out the top and as I was looking, I found this, the tank fitting is leaking. So I immediately looked and traced it up this line to see if this line was dry, it was dry, no problem there, check the fitting right here, make sure that you know this fitting where it connects into the pipe nipple was good, it was good, so that only leaves the connection from the nipple into the tank and my big concern here is I've had these things break in the past, they're not very robust, you start getting on them and if they're seized in there from rust that you know you're cranking down on it with a pipe wrench and it can break so you got to be really, really careful as you're doing this because it can be bad if it breaks because then you have to go and get a pipe extractor if you don't already have one and you have to drive that down in there and hope for the best. Sometimes it comes out, sometimes it doesn't, but I just want to show you guys this, this is how it goes, as a homeowner, you need to, here's the tool list you're going to need,

Auto-generated transcript. May contain errors.