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Help ! Water Heater Leak ! subr0021 09-12-2006
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Posted by on September 12, 2006, 1:04 am
Hello,
I noticed a leak from the top of our 15 year old Rheem water heater.
I touched the water and it was warm. So I looked near the hot water
pipe coming out from the top of the heater and that's where it seems to
be leaking from. So, I shut off the valve on that pipe, which means NO
hot water supply to the house. That stopped the leak from the top.

If I turn the valve again, it seem leak under that pipe and then starts
flowing down the heater..

So, my questions are:

1) Is shutting the valve enough to prevent any further leaking ? i.e.
should I shut the gas too to be safe ?

2) I am assuming the sealant near where the pipe is connected to the
heater is leaking. Can there be other explainations to what I see ?

3) If it is a leak in the pipe, can I try to open the connection and
apply a pipe sealant and re-connect it ? Is that safe ? Any "pressure"
thing to be aware off ?

4) Am I better off calling a plumber or installer (who?) ? Is this a
complicated thing to fix ?


HELP ! Its midnight now and my wife's going to realize in the morning
that there's no hot water !

Thanks
NeedHelp.


Posted by on September 12, 2006, 2:15 am
On 11 Sep 2006 22:04:58 -0700, subr0021@gmail.com wrote:

>Hello,
> I noticed a leak from the top of our 15 year old Rheem water heater.
>I touched the water and it was warm. So I looked near the hot water
>pipe coming out from the top of the heater and that's where it seems to
>be leaking from. So, I shut off the valve on that pipe, which means NO
>hot water supply to the house. That stopped the leak from the top.
>
>If I turn the valve again, it seem leak under that pipe and then starts
>flowing down the heater..
>
>So, my questions are:
>
>1) Is shutting the valve enough to prevent any further leaking ? i.e.
>should I shut the gas too to be safe ?
>
>2) I am assuming the sealant near where the pipe is connected to the
>heater is leaking. Can there be other explainations to what I see ?
>
>3) If it is a leak in the pipe, can I try to open the connection and
>apply a pipe sealant and re-connect it ? Is that safe ? Any "pressure"
>thing to be aware off ?
>
>4) Am I better off calling a plumber or installer (who?) ? Is this a
>complicated thing to fix ?
>
>
>HELP ! Its midnight now and my wife's going to realize in the morning
>that there's no hot water !
>
>Thanks
>NeedHelp.

You provided all the details except the type of pipe you have.
I assume it galv. steel. Yes, remove the pipe, and replace that
piece. Apply teflon tape. Pipes tend to corrode right where they
enter a water heater, and you probably got a tiny hole at the threads.
Your magnesium anode is probably dead inside the heater, that makes
the pipes corrode and rust faster. With the water off, shut off the
gas to the pilot position. You can leave the pilot light on. If for
no other reason, you will only be wasting gas till the water works
again.

Warning, that pipe might not come out real easy after 15 years. You
could snap it off or damage the heater. Be prepared to replace the
heater if you do, unless you are real handy with pipe threading and
removal of broken pieces. But you may be lucky too....
If it happens, dont cry over it. 15 years is pretty much the life of
a water heater.

Sure, call a plumber if you are afraid of the job, but if you are
handy, give it a try, and if you got to replace the heater, it's not
all that hard. You'll save money. Just replace the pipes above the
heater. THey always turn to shit up there. Replace them to the
nearest union. A new heater may be taller or shorter, so some pipe
changes may occur, but those are the bad ones anyhow. They do sell
flex pipes for that use too.

The gas pipe could also be too short or long if the new tank is
different so try to get one that matches as close as possible. On gas
pipes, use pipe dope or the yellow teflon that says "FOR GAS".
Be sure to apply dish soap water to gas pipe threads to test for
leaks.


Posted by BobK207 on September 12, 2006, 2:44 am

subr0021@gmail.com wrote:
> Hello,
> I noticed a leak from the top of our 15 year old Rheem water heater.
> I touched the water and it was warm. So I looked near the hot water
> pipe coming out from the top of the heater and that's where it seems to
> be leaking from. So, I shut off the valve on that pipe, which means NO
> hot water supply to the house. That stopped the leak from the top.
>
> If I turn the valve again, it seem leak under that pipe and then starts
> flowing down the heater..
>
> So, my questions are:
>
> 1) Is shutting the valve enough to prevent any further leaking ? i.e.
> should I shut the gas too to be safe ?
>
> 2) I am assuming the sealant near where the pipe is connected to the
> heater is leaking. Can there be other explainations to what I see ?
>
> 3) If it is a leak in the pipe, can I try to open the connection and
> apply a pipe sealant and re-connect it ? Is that safe ? Any "pressure"
> thing to be aware off ?
>
> 4) Am I better off calling a plumber or installer (who?) ? Is this a
> complicated thing to fix ?
>
>
> HELP ! Its midnight now and my wife's going to realize in the morning
> that there's no hot water !
>
> Thanks
> NeedHelp.



The night (near midnight as well) you discover a leaking water heater
is not the time to learn about water heaters & plumbing........but I
suppose a situation like this can provide some motivation


1) Is shutting the valve enough to prevent any further leaking ?

shutting off the inlet cold water to the w/h will prevent more cold
water from entering the w/h to make up for the water leaking out.....it
will not prevent the hot water from running back into the heater from
the rest of the house & leaking out but since the water heater will not
be under much pressure it will most likely not leak

i.e. should I shut the gas too to be safe ? depending on how
substaintial the water leak is I might leave the gas on (to have hot
water in the AM) or I might turn it off


> 2) I am assuming the sealant near where the pipe is connected to the
> heater is leaking. Can there be other explainations to what I see ?

yes there can be others, cannot tell from here based on your
description

maybe the 15 year old w/h is just worn out & leaking....I've had w/h's
last 20 years + and had others gone in less than 10.....depends on the
water in your area


> 3) If it is a leak in the pipe, can I try to open the connection and
> apply a pipe sealant and re-connect it ?

yes...btw pipes rarely leak...pipe joints leak

Is that safe ? yes if done correctly

>Any "pressure" thing to be aware off ?

if the water & gas iare off....the only pressure you'll see the
elevation head from the water in the house that is above the w/h

> 4) Am I better off calling a plumber or installer (who?) ?

that would be your call.........plumber can fix (if fixable), plumber
can install as well..........installer wiil R&R w/h.

>Is this a complicated thing to fix ?

no..not at all but doing your first water heater solo w/o much general
home repair experience won't be easy....do you have tools? pipe
wrenches, wrenches? experience? a DIY book?

btw you can be the hero (if you're willing to risk it).....if the leak
isn't too bad, turn the water & gas back on in the AM (about an hour
before you need hot water) & fire up it up...that way your wife won't
be w/o hot water in the AM. & you'll look pretty smart :)

Arrange for repair or replacement in the afternoon (or dive in
yourself)...can you leave work earlY?

good luck

cheers
Bob
.


Posted by on September 12, 2006, 9:19 am
Thanks for the suggestions (Bob & maradcl..) ! Definitely helped me
guage how difficult/easy this would be.

I don't have all the tools for this and since it is old, I didn't want
to risk trying to open the connections... & break it.

I did the call the plumber this morning. Hopefully they can fix it
quick and not have to replace the heater.

Again, Thanks for the suggestions. It really helped me !




BobK207 wrote:
> subr0021@gmail.com wrote:
> > Hello,
> > I noticed a leak from the top of our 15 year old Rheem water heater.
> > I touched the water and it was warm. So I looked near the hot water
> > pipe coming out from the top of the heater and that's where it seems to
> > be leaking from. So, I shut off the valve on that pipe, which means NO
> > hot water supply to the house. That stopped the leak from the top.
> >
> > If I turn the valve again, it seem leak under that pipe and then starts
> > flowing down the heater..
> >
> > So, my questions are:
> >
> > 1) Is shutting the valve enough to prevent any further leaking ? i.e.
> > should I shut the gas too to be safe ?
> >
> > 2) I am assuming the sealant near where the pipe is connected to the
> > heater is leaking. Can there be other explainations to what I see ?
> >
> > 3) If it is a leak in the pipe, can I try to open the connection and
> > apply a pipe sealant and re-connect it ? Is that safe ? Any "pressure"
> > thing to be aware off ?
> >
> > 4) Am I better off calling a plumber or installer (who?) ? Is this a
> > complicated thing to fix ?
> >
> >
> > HELP ! Its midnight now and my wife's going to realize in the morning
> > that there's no hot water !
> >
> > Thanks
> > NeedHelp.
>
>
>
> The night (near midnight as well) you discover a leaking water heater
> is not the time to learn about water heaters & plumbing........but I
> suppose a situation like this can provide some motivation
>
>
> 1) Is shutting the valve enough to prevent any further leaking ?
>
> shutting off the inlet cold water to the w/h will prevent more cold
> water from entering the w/h to make up for the water leaking out.....it
> will not prevent the hot water from running back into the heater from
> the rest of the house & leaking out but since the water heater will not
> be under much pressure it will most likely not leak
>
> i.e. should I shut the gas too to be safe ? depending on how
> substaintial the water leak is I might leave the gas on (to have hot
> water in the AM) or I might turn it off
>
>
> > 2) I am assuming the sealant near where the pipe is connected to the
> > heater is leaking. Can there be other explainations to what I see ?
>
> yes there can be others, cannot tell from here based on your
> description
>
> maybe the 15 year old w/h is just worn out & leaking....I've had w/h's
> last 20 years + and had others gone in less than 10.....depends on the
> water in your area
>
>
> > 3) If it is a leak in the pipe, can I try to open the connection and
> > apply a pipe sealant and re-connect it ?
>
> yes...btw pipes rarely leak...pipe joints leak
>
> Is that safe ? yes if done correctly
>
> >Any "pressure" thing to be aware off ?
>
> if the water & gas iare off....the only pressure you'll see the
> elevation head from the water in the house that is above the w/h
>
> > 4) Am I better off calling a plumber or installer (who?) ?
>
> that would be your call.........plumber can fix (if fixable), plumber
> can install as well..........installer wiil R&R w/h.
>
> >Is this a complicated thing to fix ?
>
> no..not at all but doing your first water heater solo w/o much general
> home repair experience won't be easy....do you have tools? pipe
> wrenches, wrenches? experience? a DIY book?
>
> btw you can be the hero (if you're willing to risk it).....if the leak
> isn't too bad, turn the water & gas back on in the AM (about an hour
> before you need hot water) & fire up it up...that way your wife won't
> be w/o hot water in the AM. & you'll look pretty smart :)
>
> Arrange for repair or replacement in the afternoon (or dive in
> yourself)...can you leave work earlY?
>
> good luck
>
> cheers
> Bob
> .


Posted by HeyBub on September 12, 2006, 10:12 am
subr0021@gmail.com wrote:
> Thanks for the suggestions (Bob & maradcl..) ! Definitely helped me
> guage how difficult/easy this would be.
>
> I don't have all the tools for this and since it is old, I didn't want
> to risk trying to open the connections... & break it.
>
> I did the call the plumber this morning. Hopefully they can fix it
> quick and not have to replace the heater.
>
> Again, Thanks for the suggestions. It really helped me !
>

If you DO have to replace the heater, you may very well be ahead by buying
one at Home Depot (etc.) and paying the plumber only for the labor to do the
installation.



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