What to Do If Your Water Heater Is Leaking

If your water heater is actively leaking, shut off the cold water supply valve at the top of the unit and turn off its power at the breaker or switch, then call Plumbing Police at (540) 371-3570. Do this before you do anything else — a leaking water heater can quickly turn into a flooded utility closet or basement.

Step One: Shut Off the Water

Look for a valve on the cold water supply line entering the top of the water heater. Turn it clockwise until it stops. This cuts off the source of the leak so it stops getting worse while you figure out next steps.

If you can't find that valve or it won't turn, shut off your home's main water shutoff instead. Every home has one, usually where the water line enters the house — in a basement, crawlspace, or utility closet. It's worth knowing where yours is before you're standing in water trying to find it.

Step Two: Turn Off the Power

For an electric water heater, switch off the breaker labeled for it in your electrical panel. For a gas water heater, do not touch the gas control valve or any gas connections yourself. If you smell gas or suspect a gas leak, leave the area immediately, don't operate any switches, and call your gas utility from outside the home before calling a plumber.

Step Three: Contain What You Can

Once the water and power are off, place towels or a shallow container under the leak if it's safe and easy to do. Don't spend time on this if it means standing in standing water near an outlet or electrical panel — your safety comes first, not the cleanup.

Where Is It Leaking From?

The location of the leak tells you roughly what you're dealing with, though a plumber should confirm it:

• Leaking from the top — often a loose fitting on the inlet or outlet connections, sometimes a simple fix
• Leaking from the bottom or the tank itself — usually means the tank has corroded from the inside and is failing. This typically means replacement, not repair
• Water pooling around the base with no clear source — could be condensation, or could be an internal failure. Worth having checked either way

We don't recommend opening up the unit or working on the tank yourself. Water heaters involve pressurized components and, for gas units, a gas connection — this is a job for water heater repair and installation professionals, not a weekend project.

Document the Damage

Before you start cleanup, take a few photos of the leak, the affected area, and any water damage. If you end up filing a claim with your homeowner's insurance, having that documentation from the start makes the process easier. We can't advise on what your policy covers — that's a conversation for your insurance provider — but photos taken now are something you can't easily recreate later.

Is This an Emergency, or Can It Wait?

Call right away if the leak is active, the water is spreading, or you smell gas. If the water heater has simply stopped producing hot water without any visible leak, that's a different, less urgent situation — see what to do when your water heater stops working for that scenario.

We're Available 24/7

A leaking water heater doesn't wait for business hours, and neither do we. Plumbing Police offers emergency plumbing services around the clock for homeowners in Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Locust Grove, Orange, and King George, VA. Shut off the water, shut off the power, and call us at (540) 371-3570. We'll get someone out to stop the damage and get your hot water back.