Plumbing tips · October 9, 2026
Water heater leaking from the bottom?
Water on the floor around a water heater does not always mean the tank is done. Here is how to tell where it is coming from, what to shut off right now, and when it is time to call.
First, shut it down safely
Turn off the power at the breaker if it is electric, or turn the gas control to OFF if it is gas. Then close the cold water valve on the pipe going into the top of the tank. That stops more water going in. Do not open the relief valve or the drain to "check" it — the water inside can be hot enough to scald.
Find where the water is really coming from
Dry the floor and the outside of the tank with a towel, then watch. Water running down the side from the top usually means a loose or corroded fitting on the hot or cold pipe. A drip from the drain valve near the bottom is often just the valve, and that is a small repair. Water coming out of the pipe on the side of the tank is the temperature and pressure relief valve doing its job — the tank is too hot or under too much pressure, and that needs looking at the same day.
When the tank itself is leaking
If the water is coming from under the tank and none of the valves or fittings are wet, the steel inside has rusted through. A tank cannot be patched. It has to be replaced, and the sooner it is, the less water ends up in the floor and the walls around it.
Why it happens so often out here
Hard water is normal in Parker and Wise County. The minerals settle in the bottom of the tank as sediment, the burner or element has to heat through it, and the bottom of the tank runs hotter and wears out faster. A rumbling or popping sound when it heats is that sediment. Flushing the tank once a year and a water softener both help a new one last.
Questions we get asked
Can a leaking water heater tank be repaired?
Not the tank itself. A leaking valve or fitting can be replaced, but once the tank body leaks it needs replacing.Is water from the relief valve dangerous?
It means the tank got too hot or the pressure got too high, and the valve opened to protect it. Do not cap or plug that pipe. Have it checked — it can mean the thermostat, the valve or the house pressure needs attention, or the system needs an expansion tank.How long does a tank water heater last?
Most are built to last roughly a decade. Hard water shortens that, and flushing the sediment out every year helps it go the distance.Plumbing questions we answer
Where we go
Parker, Wise and Tarrant County, out of the shop in Springtown. Springtown, Weatherford, Azle, Boyd, Decatur, Newark, Millsap, Fort Worth and the country in between.
Call 817-487-8866