Latest / Cool Talk with Hartzell's | Your HVAC Questions, Answered! / Why Is Your Water Heater Leaking

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Why Is Your Water Heater Leaking · Cool Talk with Hartzell's | Your HVAC Questions, Answered!

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: So, um imagine you walk into your garage or maybe your basement and your stomach just instantly drops, right?
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Because there is this massive puddle of water creeping out from underneath your water heater.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_01: Oh yeah, that is definitely a panic-inducing moment for anyone.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_01: You just see the water and assume the worst.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: You instantly think the whole thing is ruined.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: But the mission of today's deep dive is actually to de-escalate that panic.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: Because, you know, a puddle doesn't automatically mean your tank is completely dead.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_01: Not every leak is a fatal flaw.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of times, if the water is coming from like exactly the right spot, that leak might actually be the only thing keeping your house from literally blowing up.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: Sounds crazy, but it's true.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: So today, we are going to learn how to play water heater detective.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: We're going to decipher what that puddle is actually trying to tell you.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, because you're really just looking at physical evidence.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_01: You just need to know how to read the mechanical language of the system.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, to help us translate that language, we are pulling from an incredible masterclass provided by Dave Hartzell of Hartzell's Heat and Air over in Kingfisher, Oklahoma.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that's a fantastic source.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: And we have to mention Dave is a Nate certified master HVAC technician with 47 years in the trade.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: And um, for those of you listening who track these industry standards, Nate's certification is a huge deal.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, absolutely.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_01: It's the North American Technician Excellence certification.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: It's not just some weekend course, you know.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_01: It means passing rigorous exams on the actual physics and thermodynamics of these systems.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: So when someone with that level of credentials and 47 years of hands-on experience tells you how to diagnose a wet appliance, you take notes.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: For sure.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_01: But before we even start following the water or playing detective, Dave has a very strict, hard and fast rule.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_01: There is a protocol you have to follow first.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Because my instinct, and I think most people's instinct, is to just grab a towel, wade right into the puddle, and start shining a flashlight around to find the drip.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, do not do that.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_01: That is the exact opposite of what you should do.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: You have to treat the water heater like a live crash site.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: You do not touch anything until you've secured the scene.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: A live crash site.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: That's a really good analogy.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Because we're combining two things that, well, they really do not mix well with uncontained water.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_01: High voltage electricity and combustible gas.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: You've got 50 gallons of water sitting right next to a massive energy source.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: Water is a conductor, you know?
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_01: It gives that energy a bridge to go somewhere you really don't want it to go.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: So safety first, always.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: If I walk in and see a puddle around an electric heater, I'm not stepping in it.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: I'm literally turning around, going to the main electrical panel and flipping the breaker.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: You shut off the 240 volt supply immediately.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_01: You never poke around wet electrical equipment.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Powell Okay, but what if I have a gas unit?
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, there's no breaker for the gas.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_01: With gas, you need to locate the gas control valve.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's usually situated down low, right near the base of the tank.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_01: You just turn that off to kill the fuel supply.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Powell Right.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: But there is a massive critical warning here.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: If you walk into that space and you smell gas like that rotten egg or sulfur smell, what then?
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_01: Then it is no longer a DIY situation, period.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: You just leave, right.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: You evacuate, do not touch the valve, do not flip a light switch, don't even use your cell phone in that room.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_01: You leave the area and you call the gas company.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_01: A single spark from a light switch could ignite pooling gas.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so we respect the hazard, but let's assume there's no gas smell, we've safely powered everything down, and the scene is totally secure.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: Where do we actually start looking?
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: You start at the very top and you just let gravity be your guide.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: Follow the water.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so up at the top we've got the plumbing connections, right?
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: The cold water coming in and the hot water going out in the house.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_01: And you have to think about what's happening to those connections over time.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_01: You have relentless thermal expansion and contraction.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_01: The metal fittings heat up, they expand, they cool down, they contract.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: And it's doing that like thousands of times over the years.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_01: Aaron Powell Exactly.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: And eventually all that micro movement can loosen the threads or degrade the seal on those plumbing fittings.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Powell So if I run my hand around those top pipes and they're wet, but the rest of the actual tank is totally dry, that's actually good news.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_01: Aaron Powell That's your best case scenario.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_01: It usually just means a plumbing connection is weeping.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: A professional can easily break that connection, put some fresh sealant on, and tighten it back up.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_01: It's an easy fix.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so a massive puddle could literally just be a loose thread up top.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: But what if the top is totally dry?
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: That takes us down to the middle of the tank, which is where things get really serious.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_01: Down the side, or sometimes on the top, you'll find a valve with a pipe running straight down toward the floor.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: That is your TNP valve, the temperature and pressure relief valve.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: And Dave's masterclass makes it very clear that this valve is basically the safety hero of your entire house.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, it really is.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: It has a sensor that goes directly into the water.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: If the internal temperature or the pressure climbs dangerously high, that valve is designed to forcefully open and dump water out through that discharge pipe.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, this is where I think a lot of people make a huge mistake.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: Because if they see water dripping from that pipe, they just think, oh, it's a leaky pipe, I'll just put a cap on it.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: Oh man.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you should absolutely never ever do that.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: Tapping a TMP valve is incredibly dangerous.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: Wait, really?
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: Because I've totally seen people suggest that on DIY forums.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: Just, you know, screw a cap on the end to stop the drip.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_01: No, no, no.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_01: If water is coming from the TMP pipe, it means one of two things.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_01: Either the valve itself is old and the spring is worn out.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: So it's just reaping water.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: Which isn't great, but not a disaster.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_01: But the second possibility is that the valve is actively doing its exact job.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_01: It's venting pressure to prevent a literal explosion.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: Oh wow.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: So if you cap it, you're trapping all that pressure inside a closed steel tank.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: If the water inside gets superheated and the tank ruptures, all that water is instantly exposed to normal air pressure.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_01: It flashes into steam immediately.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: And steam takes up way more space than water.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_01: Like 1600 times more space.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_01: That rapid expansion is a catastrophic explosion.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: It can level a house.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so message received never ever cap the TNP discharge pipe.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: If it's leaking, you call a pro to evaluate it.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: You don't mess with safety mechanisms.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: Alright, so top fittings are just plumbing.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: The middle is the pressure safety.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: But what if all of that is dry and the water is coming from the very bottom?
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_01: Down at the bottom, you have two main possibilities.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_01: The first one is the drain valve.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: Which looks sort of like a little garden hose spigot, right?
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: Like sticking out of the base.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yep, that's the one.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_01: It's used for flushing the tank during routine maintenance.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes, especially after it's been flushed, the internal washer doesn't seat perfectly and it just drips.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, because maybe a tiny piece of sediment got stuck in the seal or something.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_01: Or the rubber washer is just old and brittle.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_01: In that case, gently snugging it or putting a dedicated cap over those hose threads often completely solves it.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: Wait, so it is okay to cap the drain valve, just not the safety valve.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: Correct.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_01: Capping the drain spigot is totally fine.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: It's just a water seal.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, that's a huge relief.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: But um what if it's not the spigot?
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: What if the water is literally seeping out from underneath the actual metal body of the tank itself?
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that is the hard truth moment.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_01: If the water is coming from the tank body and there are no valves or fittings to blame, the structural integrity of the steel is gone.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_01: The tank is finished.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: Oh man.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: So the water has literally rusted all the way through the heavy gauge steel from the inside out.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_01: And to understand why that happens, you have to look at the coolest piece of chemistry inside the whole system, the anode rod.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I love the anode rod because its entire existence is basically just to sacrifice itself.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: I always picture it like a, I don't know, a Secret Service bodyguard taking a bullet for the steel tank.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_01: That is a perfect way to look at it.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: It's a process called galvanic corrosion.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_01: You have a rod made of magnesium or aluminum suspended inside the tank.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: And because of the chemistry of the water, the corrosive elements are more attracted to the magnesium than to the steel.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: Precisely.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_01: The water attacks the anode rod instead of the tank walls.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_01: The rod literally dissolves, sacrificing its own metal day by day entirely to keep the steel tank safe.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: But the bodyguard doesn't live forever, right?
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: Eventually that rod is completely eaten away.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_01: And once the anode rod is fully consumed, the water turns its attention to the only metal left, the steel tank itself.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: And water and steel always reach the exact same conclusion in the end.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: The steel rusts.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_01: Every single time.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_01: And you cannot patch a rusted through pressure vessel.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_01: Once that jacket is breached, the entire unit must be replaced.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: So since we know that water and steel always win eventually, is there any way to delay the inevitable?
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like how do we catch this before it completely ruins the garage floor?
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_01: Proactive care is everything.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: You have to maintain it.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_01: First, have the anode rod checked and replaced if it's getting low.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: Makes sense.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: Give the tank a new bodyguard.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_01: But the biggest thing is flushing the sediment out of the bottom of the tank regularly.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, right.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: Because all those hard minerals from the municipal water supply, they kind of precipitate out and sink to the bottom when the water gets heated.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: They form this thick, dense layer of mud and scale right at the bottom.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: And think about where the heat source is.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_01: The gas burner or the electrical element is at the very base.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: So it's trying to heat the water, but it has to push all that thermal energy through a layer of rock first.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: It forces the tank to work so much harder.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: The steel at the bottom gets baked at drastically higher temperatures, which accelerates metal fatigue and basically fast tracks the rusting process.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: So routine maintenance like flushing that sediment and checking the rod gives you the power to actually replace the unit on your own schedule instead of you know waking up to a flooded house.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_01: It's always better to handle it proactively.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_01: You get to control the timeline.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: All right, so let's recap Dave's follow-the-water detective method here.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: Let's do it.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: If the top is wet, it's just a plumbing connection.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: If the middle TNP valve is wet, that's a critical safety vent.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: Do not cap it, call a pro.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: If the bottom spigot is dripping, it's a minor washer issue.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: But if there is seepage coming from under the tank body itself, the anode rod is gone, the tank is rusted, and it is time for a new unit.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_01: You mapped it out perfectly.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: Well, Dave Hartzell specifically wanted us to deliver a direct message to you today.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: If you have a puddle under your unit and you aren't absolutely certain what it means, do not wait for a flood.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, don't guess when it comes to this stuff.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: Call Dave Hartzell at Hartzell's Heat and Air.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: The number is 405-375-4822.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: Again, that's 405-375-4822.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: Or you can easily book online at heartcellsheetair.com.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_01: They are such a great resource to have.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: They really are.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: They are family run, thoroughly Nate certified, and they've been doing this for 47 years.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: You can find them located at 6022 South Main in Kingfisher.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: And if you want peace of mind, they have 4.8 stars with over 300 Google reviews.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_01: That kind of diagnostic experience is invaluable.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_01: When someone has 47 years in the field, they have seen and solved every single mechanical failure these systems can throw at you.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: Well, as we wrap up this deep dive, my mind just keeps going back to that sacrificial anode rod we talked about earlier.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_01: Ah, it's such an elegant piece of engineering.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: It really is.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to leave you with a final thought about that.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: Consider the hitter design of our homes.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: Somewhere in your house right now, in the dark, a simple piece of metal is quietly sacrificing itself.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_01: Just degrading away day by day.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: Totally.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: And it's doing it entirely so that you can simply turn a tap and enjoy a hot shower tomorrow morning.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's just a beautiful bit of invisible engineering keeping our modern comfort alive.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_01: It really makes you appreciate the mechanics behind the walls, doesn't it?
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: It really does.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_00: So next time you wash your hands, give a little mental nod to that anode rod.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for taking this deep dive with us, and we'll catch you next time.