Water from a leaking tank water heater, extracted from the floor and dried in the wall behind it.
Fastest: call (833) 490-5225. Or send this and we call you back.
Water heater leak damage happens when a tank water heater leaks from its base, its drain valve, its connections or its pressure relief valve. The water runs across the floor and into the wall behind the unit, where it is often missed. Anchorage Water Damage Restoration answers calls at any hour and sends a crew as soon as one is free.
A tank water heater that fails in a utility room or a cellar rarely fails in one place. The tank can seep at the base where the steel has corroded, the drain valve can open or weep, the inlet and outlet connections can loosen, and the pressure relief valve can discharge when the pressure inside the tank rises. Each leak sends water in a different direction, and the room is usually built so that water flows toward the floor drain, the wall or the nearest door.
The reason water heater leaks cause so much damage is the place they happen. A heater sits on a slab or a platform against a wall, and water that gets behind the unit soaks the bottom plate, the drywall and the insulation without showing much on the surface. The stain on the floor is often the smallest part of the job, and the crew checks the wall behind and beside the tank before it decides the drying plan.
Shut off the water supply to the heater at its inlet valve if you can reach it, and turn off the power or the gas at the unit as the heater's own instructions describe. Do not touch an electric heater while it is standing in water, and do not open a gas heater's cover to look. Call the line and tell the crew the type of heater, whether it is gas or electric, and where the water is coming from, because each changes the safety steps.
Do not touch an electric water heater while it is standing in water, and do not open the cover of a gas heater to look for the leak. Do not use the relief valve to drain the tank while the water is hot, because it can scald. If a gas smell is present near the heater, leave the house and call the gas provider from outside before anything else.
Shut the cold supply valve to the heater, switch off the electric power at the panel or set the gas control to off as the manufacturer describes, and keep people out of the water near the unit. Do not attempt to drain the tank under pressure if the relief valve is discharging. The crew checks the isolation before it starts.
The technician identifies whether the leak is from the base, the drain, a connection or the relief valve, and then follows the water across the floor and into the wall. A wall behind the heater that reads wet is the first thing checked, because it is where water that is not seen on the floor usually goes.
Standing water is pumped from the floor, and the wet base of the drywall, the bottom plate and any insulation at the wall behind the unit are opened and removed where needed. The floor drain is checked to make sure it is clear and draining, because a blocked drain can hold water on the slab for hours.
Air movers are set across the slab and at the base of the wall, and a dehumidifier is set in the room. The bottom plate and the framing are read with meters at several points. The crew checks the floor below the wall where water may have run through the slab or the joists.
The crew writes down where the water came from, the readings and the removed materials, and it notes whether the heater is leaking from its tank or from a fitting. Replacing the heater is done by a plumber or an installer, and the crew says which of the two the unit needs.
The water runs down the back of the tank and collects at the bottom plate, where the drywall and insulation sit at the floor line. The wall is usually closed off, and water that gets into the bottom of the cavity has no way out except through the framing and the floor.
The bottom plate is the most affected wood in the wall, because it sits on the floor and takes water from above and below. Once it is wet, it does not dry on its own unless the wall is opened and air is moved into the cavity.
Insulation behind the heater can also hold water for days. The crew removes the wet insulation and dries the wall from the cavity side, because surface drying leaves the bottom of the wall wet and can allow mold to grow behind the finish.
Not until a plumber has checked it. A leak from the tank means the heater has to be replaced, and a leak from a fitting may be repairable, but either way the unit should be shut off until a professional has assessed it.
A heater that has been leaking may have lost pressure or may be discharging through the relief valve. Running it in that state can cause further damage, scald hot water or create a hazard at the gas burner or the electrical elements.
A plumber or installer should decide whether the unit is repaired or replaced. The restoration crew does not repair or replace water heaters, and it tells you that on the first visit so you can make the call.
Look at the base of the tank and the floor under it every few months, check the relief valve for signs of discharge, and note the age of the unit. Old tanks are more likely to corrode, and a heater that has been running for many years is worth having inspected before it fails.
Check the connections for drips or mineral crust, which is a sign of a slow weep. Put a shallow pan or a leak sensor under the heater if the floor is finished, so that a small leak is noticed before it runs into the wall.
Make sure the floor drain by the heater is clear. A blocked drain turns a small leak into a flooded floor, and it is a quick check with a flashlight. Tell the plumber about any drain problem at the same visit.
The crew checks the slab and the floor coverings. A concrete slab can be dried in place if the water has not penetrated a joint or cracked the surface. Tile is dried in place, while wood, carpet and paper-backed flooring that has soaked through are removed.
A slab that was wet for only a short time is usually fine after it has been extracted and dried. A slab that has taken water along a crack or a joint may need the water traced and the area cleaned more thoroughly, and the crew records what it finds.
The finished flooring around the heater is assessed on its own. Anything that has lifted, stained or swollen is removed, and anything that dried to the reference is kept. The decision is written in the log.
The heater is left in place during drying unless it is leaking from the tank, in which case it is isolated and removed by the plumber. The drying equipment is set around the unit so that the air reaches the wall and the floor behind it.
The crew does not move the heater to dry the wall behind it, because moving a heater with water in its tank or with gas connections is a job for a plumber. The air is directed to the wall from the side and from the floor, so the cavity behind the heater is dried around the unit.
When the drying is finished, the crew says whether the heater can be left in place for the plumber to replace or repair, and it records the state of the connections and the relief valve.
A leak from the bottom of the tank usually means the steel has corroded through, and the heater is not repairable. The water comes out under the unit and runs toward the lowest point of the room, often reaching the wall behind the heater. The crew treats the water as clean supply water unless it has been in contact with anything else.
Water that comes from the drain valve, the inlet or the outlet connections usually runs down the side of the tank or along the pipe. It can seem to come from the wall, and the crew checks the pipe run to make sure the source is found before the wall is opened.
A relief valve that discharges is a pressure problem that needs a plumber to correct. The water from the discharge is often hot, and it can reach the floor and the walls in a steady stream. The crew advises that the heater be checked by a plumber before it is used again, and it records the discharge in the log.
Where a heater sits in a cellar, a utility room or a closet on the lowest floor, a leak runs toward the floor drain or the nearest outside wall. The crew checks the wall and the foundation behind the unit as a matter of course.
Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility supplies the city and the nearby communities, so the supply to the heater is the utility's up to the house, and the house side belongs to the owner. The inlet valve at the heater is the one to shut when a leak starts, and the utility is called only if the leak is on its side of the meter.
Replacing a water heater can need a permit from the Municipality of Anchorage, so the plumber who replaces the unit should be asked whether one applies before the work begins.
Call any hour and explain what is going on. You get a clear price before any work starts.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Water from a washing machine, dishwasher or icemaker that reaches the floor and the room below.
Water from a frozen, split supply line in an exterior wall, crawl space or cellar, answered 24/7 in Anchorage.
Air movers and dehumidifiers that dry walls, framing and subfloors to moisture readings, not to appearance.
Basement flooding when a sump pump stops or a backwater valve fails, handled as a house-side failure from the first call.
Close the cold supply valve at the top of the heater, then switch off the electric power at the panel or set the gas control to off, following the manufacturer's instructions. Do not drain the tank yourself if the relief valve is discharging.
Water runs down the back of the tank and along the bottom plate and into the cavity behind the drywall. The floor shows only what came out, while the wall holds what went in.
No. The crew isolates the heater and dries the floor and wall. A plumber or installer decides whether the unit is repaired or replaced, and the crew records the state of the unit for that person.
It can be. Hot water from a heater or a relief valve can scald, so keep children and pets out of the wet area until the water has cooled and the crew has arrived.
Keep it clear and do not block it. A discharge pipe that is capped or blocked can build pressure, and the relief valve may open and send hot water onto the floor. A plumber should check the arrangement.
The drying is set by the readings in the wall and the floor, not by a number of days. The crew checks each visit, and it explains the schedule once the wall has been opened and measured.