Your Hometown Gas Water Heater Plumbers in East Canton

First Steps When Your Water Heater Leaks

A leaking tank can release a surprising amount of water, and a heater on the edge of failure can let go all at once. These steps limit damage while you wait for us:

• Close the cold water inlet. Find the valve on the pipe entering the top of the heater, usually on the right side, and turn it clockwise until it stops.
• Turn the gas control to off. The knob on the gas valve near the bottom of the tank has on, pilot and off positions.
• Move valuables. Lift boxes, rugs and anything stored on the floor nearby.
• Open a hot faucet upstairs. This relieves pressure in the tank and slows the leak.
• Do not drain the tank yourself unless the leak is severe and you have a hose run to a floor drain. The water inside can be scalding.
• Call 330-875-8003. We offer emergency plumbing and leak containment service.

If You Smell Gas Near the Heater

A faint odor when the burner first lights can be normal on some units, but a steady smell of gas is not. Leave the house, do not operate switches or start a car in an attached garage, and call your gas utility from outside. Once the utility has made the area safe, we can locate and repair the leak, which is frequently at a flexible connector, a corroded fitting or the gas control valve itself. Larger problems along the supply piping fall under our gas line repair work.

Telling a Real Leak From Condensation

Not every wet spot means the tank is failing. When a gas heater fires on a cold tank, combustion produces water vapor that can condense inside the burner chamber and drip, sizzling on the burner. This usually stops once the tank warms. Sweating cold pipes above the heater can drip in humid weather too.

To tell the difference, dry the floor and the outside of the tank, then check back after an hour or two. Water around the relief valve discharge pipe points to a pressure or temperature issue. Water at fittings on top suggests a connection leak. Water seeping from under the jacket or from the bottom of the tank, with no other source, usually means the tank has corroded through and needs replacement. If you cannot find the source, our leak detection and repair service can trace it.

Repairing or Replacing the Heater

With the emergency under control, we give you a free estimate and an honest recommendation. Leaks at fittings, drain valves and relief valves are repairable. So are pilot and burner problems, which are among the most common no-hot-water calls we get. A leaking tank, however, needs replacement.

Replacement follows our standard process: you approve the specifications, we remove the old unit, set and connect the new heater, test gas, water and venting, and finish with a quality inspection. East Canton homes range from older houses in the village to rural properties on wells and propane, so we confirm the fuel type and water conditions before choosing a model. Rural customers who run on propane can also use our propane line service if the supply needs work.

Being Close Helps With Upkeep, Too

Since we are right in town, East Canton homeowners find it easy to schedule routine checks. Draining sediment, testing the relief valve and checking the anode rod help a heater last. Our maintenance agreement bundles an annual inspection with priority service and discounts on labor and materials.

We serve nearby Louisville, Canton, Waynesburg, Malvern and North Canton as well. For more on tank types and sizing, see our gas water heater overview.