The questions that decide tonight or tomorrow
- How much water: a few drops, a steady drip, or water spreading across the floor?
- Where is it coming from: the tank itself, a pipe or fitting on top, or the pipe off the valve on the side?
- Is any water near outlets, cords, the electrical panel or other appliances?
- Is the heater in a basement or garage, or somewhere the water will damage floors and ceilings below?
- Is it a gas or electric heater, and roughly how old is it?
What to tell them while they wait
Find the cold water valve on the pipe going into the top of the heater and turn it off. That stops more water going in.
Just put a towel down for now.
If it is electric, switch off its breaker. If it is gas, turn the gas control to off. Do not stand in water to do either.
Leave it running until the plumber gets there.
If the water is near outlets or the panel, stay out of the water and do not touch anything electrical. I am sending someone tonight.
It can probably wait until morning.
The three ways this goes wrong
- Deciding by how worried they sound instead of by what the water is doing.
- Booking tomorrow without telling them how to shut the heater down tonight.
- Asking a homeowner to drain the tank or work on the valve. The shutoffs are as far as phone advice goes.
A leaking water heater comes down to how much water, from where, and how close to anything electrical. Ask those three things, get the water and the power off, and the calls that need tonight get tonight.
I answer the phones for plumbing contractors, and I walk every caller with a leaking water heater through the shutoffs before anyone is booked. callbobai.com