When flooding happens in your home, it can be very distressing and seemingly impossible to deal with. The damage done to your property will likely be expensive, and you may lose precious treasures that just can’t be replaced, like family photo albums.
If you have a hot water tank in your home, you need to learn all of the ins and outs to maintain the function of your water heater to prevent leaks from taking place. With that in mind, here are a few things that you can implement into your hot water tank maintenance process to avoid potential flood damage.
What Causes Leaking Hot Water Tanks
There are a lot of potential triggers that can lead to leaking tanks. A few of the most common are corrosion, rust, overheating, pressure, faulty pressure release valves, and sediment buildup. When one of these instances occurs, the accumulation of water can cause damage to your flooring, electrical components, and drywall. That is why it is important to know the steps to prevent this from happening.
Fortunately, you can prevent these leaks from ever occurring by making sure that your hot water tank is up to date on its regular maintenance. Otherwise, if your hot water heater is nearing the end of its life, it may be time to invest in a replacement to help keep your home safe from leaks.
Check your Hot Water Tanks for Leaks
Regularly checking your hot water tank helps to prevent leaks or stop them fast.
If you notice what is gathering around the bottom of the tank, check to ensure that it is not condensation. There are instances where water drips down the sides during the heating process.
If the pooling water is not due to condensation, look at the temperature-pressure valve toward the top. The valve should open and let water out if the pressure has risen too high. This means you need to replace the valve.
If that is not the problem, look at the drain valve on the bottom. See if the leak stops by tightening it. If it does not stop, you likely need to replace the valve.
You may notice water spraying out of the pipes or tank. Shut off the main water line right away until you can get the issue solved.
How to Prevent Your Hot Water Tank from Flooding?
There are a few things that you need to know to prevent your hot water tank from leaking and causing potential flooding in your home.
Practice regular maintenance. The first thing you should do to prevent a water tank leak is to regularly perform maintenance to be completely sure it is working. When you check, you should inspect the temperature and pressure and check the anode rod. You should also look for moisture, pooling water, or signs of mold damage near the tank.
Use a water shut-off valve. To attempt to prevent a hot water tank leak from worsening, try using an automatic water shut-off valve. Water shut-off valves find leaks and send the control box a signal to shut down the water supply to the heater. When the supply is cut off, the valve remains shut until you reset it manually. The majority of shut-off valves will also sound off an alarm to notify you that a leak was found and alert you to any maintenance it may require.
Drain your hot water tank. Though shut-off valves have their perks, they only work to ensure that the detected leak does not get worse. But what happens to the water that is already there? That water will leak until you drain it. To drain your hot water tank, you need to follow these steps:
Turn the hot water tank off.
Shut down the water supply.
Attach a hose to the water tank via the drain valve located at the base of the tank. Then, place the other end of your hose somewhere where it is okay to drain water and release the drain valve.
Release the pressure relief valve.
Wash any sediment that may be accumulating inside the tank by opening the water supply.
If you suspect your hot water tank may need more work than you can give it, call One Man & A Toolbox. We can come out and provide you with any maintenance or repairs you may need. Our technicians are responsible and experienced, and we’ll be sure to satisfy your preventative maintenance needs! Contact us today, and someone from our team can help you with your hot water tank.