Repair Water Heater Leaks – Is It as Difficult as It Sounds?
Having to repair water heater leaks is one of the most expensive things that you’ll have to do when it comes to making sure that you’re plumbing is working properly, isn’t it? Well, that’s what most people think, but it isn’t always the case. Often you’ll be able to repair water heater leaks yourself, but there are times when it would be far wiser to call in a company like Magic Plumbing, to do the big repair jobs, right.
To prevent the need to repair water heater leaks, you should have a company check your water heater installation, on a regular basis. If you catch problems early enough, then the need for tips on how to repair water heater leaks is going to be unnecessary, but they may still be worth knowing anyway; so let’s have a look at some of the things you can do if you need to repair water heater leaks, shall we?
Repair Water Heater Leaks tip 1: the tools of the trade
These tools are going to vary, depending on what you have to fix, but in general, you’re going to need a length of hose, a screwdriver, sealant, a wrench, a flashlight, and the phone number of Magic Plumbing – well, you never quite know when that last one will come in handy.
Repair Water Heater Leaks tip 2: getting to know your water heater
True, at first glance that may sound a little odd, but how do you expect to know how to repair water heater leaks if you don’t know what happens in the water heater?
Of course, you don’t have to have an in-depth knowledge of how it works, but you should know about the connections, and which of those are most likely to have sprung a leak. Sometimes it’s going to be obvious where you need to repair water heater leaks, and at other times, it’s a bit less obvious.
Repair Water Heater Leaks tip 3: getting to know your shut off valve
Well, by getting to know it you should at least know where it’s located. Most homes will have one main shut off valve where the cold water actually enters the home; that’s important to know about if you want to shut everything down.
Homes that have had their plumbing redone in recent years may also have shut off valves attached to the pipes feeding each thing that uses water i.e. water heaters, dishwashers, toilets, basins etc. If the water heater does have one, it makes shutting the water off to repair water heater leaks, so much easier.
Repair Water Heater Leaks tip 4: shutting it off
Now that you know where it’s located, it’s time to shut the water supply off. You’re also going to have to shut off the gas, or electricity that powers the water heater.
If you have a gas powered water heater then you’ll find the knob conveniently located on the front of the water heater, just turn it to ‘OFF’. Later you’ll switch it to ‘PILOT’ when it comes time to restart everything and relight the pilot light.
Repair Water Heater Leaks tip 5: locating the problem
Now that everything is safe, it’s time to see if you can track down the source of the problem.
The first thing to do is to have a look at all of the connections going in to, and out of the water heater. When you try to repair water heater leaks it’s a process of elimination.
If you find that you need to repair water heater leaks that are coming from connections, then you should be able to do it yourself. If, on the other hand, it seems that the tank is actually leaking, it may be time to call the number – the one that’s part of your equipment – and get Magic Plumbing around; you may need to have a new water tank installed.
Repair Water Heater Leaks tip 6: making a connection
If, to repair water heater leaks on your system, you’re going to have to adjust the connections that are feeding the water in, or circulating it from the water heater, then here’s what you’ll need to know.
The first thing that you’re going to have to do is to drain the water heater. To do that you’ll need to locate the sillcock valve, and attach your hose. If possible, make sure the other end of the hose is running outside, or you’re going to find yourself making loads of trips to empty the bucket.
Eventually it will empty, and you can get ready to disconnect the pipes. Depending on just how adventurous you are, you may choose to do all of them while the system is down; if not, it probably won’t matter too much.
While you do have the connections disconnected, it will be a good time to check the seals. Clean the connections, and then put some new sealant around the connections. The old sealant may have worn away, and that could have led to you having to learn how to repair water heater leaks.
The next thing you have to do, when you’re happy with the connections, is to tighten everything back up.
Repair Water Heater Leaks tip 7: getting all fired up
After you’ve opened all of the valves to let the water back in, it’s going to be time to relight the pilot light.
To do that you remove the plate that will be covering the chamber with the pilot light in it. Turn the knob to ‘PILOT’ and hold down the release button. Use a long match to start the pilot light, and keep the release button held down for a minute longer. Then turn the knob to ‘ON’ and you’re ready to close.
Repair Water Heater Leaks tip 8: flushed with success
Seeing as few in the family held little hope of you being able to repair water heater leaks, and decided to go out, now would be a good time to flush the system; just to make sure you clean out anything that may have got in to the disconnected pipes.
Repair Water Heater Leaks tip 9: the easy way
There is, of course, an easy way to do all of this, and that’s to contact Magic Plumbing to repair water heater leaks. With over 30-years of experience behind them they’re well suited to solve the problem quickly, easily, and at a very reasonable rate.
So, with all of the knowledge on tap are you going to do it yourself; or let the professionals repair water heater leaks for you in the future?
