5 Tips to Deal With a Hot Water System Leak

A leak in your home water heating system can cause a lot of damage to your home. Even though a tiny leak might seem like a non-urgent issue, it can quickly get worse. You need to take action right away to find the leak and get it fixed as soon as you can. Here are a series of actions you can take now if you discover your hot water system is leaking.

1. Find the Leak in Your Hot Water System

Some hot water system leaks are easy to spot, but others are much less obvious. The most common places for a hot water system to spring a leak are the temperature and pressure valves on the hot water tank. If your tank is very old, the tank itself could also be leaking.

If you have checked your hot water tank and have not found a leak, check the pipes that transport the hot water from the tank to other parts of your home.

2. Stop the Water Supply

As soon as you find the source of the leak, cut off the water supply to limit damage to your home and its furnishings. In order to do this, you will need to locate your home's stop tap, which controls the supply of water.

In apartments, stop taps are often located inside cupboards close to the main door of the flat. Stop taps for houses are often outside. To cut off the water supply, turn this tap firmly clockwise. You may need to oil the tap in order to get it to turn.

3. Contact a Local Plumber

Repairing a leak in a hot water system is not something that you should attempt yourself. Water heaters must be kept at the correct pressure in order to safely heat water for your home. If you patch a water heater yourself, you could put this pressure out of balance, which can be very dangerous.

4. Decide Whether You Want to Repair the Water Heater

If a plumber finds a leak in your water heater, they might recommend that you repair the unit. However, opting to repair the tank is not always worthwhile. You might prefer to replace the water heater with a more modern model.

Several advantages of opting to replace your damaged water heater exist. One is that the new heater is likely to come with a warranty, which will be useful if the new model also develops a leak. Another advantage is that the latest generation of water heaters are more efficient than those that came before them, which could help you to save money on your household bills.

5. Select Your Replacement Water Heater

You can choose between many types of water heaters if you opt to replace your damaged heater. If your property is connected to a gas line, you have the option of a gas heater. This type of heater is often the least expensive.

Electric heaters are a good option for homes that have no gas connection. However, you may also have another option: a solar water heater. This type of heater uses solar panels on your roof to heat the water you use. Solar water heating systems are not a good choice for all homes.

If you are interested in this environmentally friendly option, ask your plumber whether this type of system is suitable for your home.

If you suspect you have a leak in your hot water system, get in touch with S. P. K. Plumbing & Civil today. With considerable expertise in hot water repairs, we are ready to help you out with your plumbing problems.