Extraction and drying after a water heater leaks into a garage, closet or utility room, including the slab edge and the wall behind it.
Fastest: call (833) 490-5225. Or send this and we call you back.
Water heater leak damage is the wetting of a garage, closet or utility room, and the wall and slab beside the heater, after a tank or its connections leak. Cleanup turns off the heater and the water supply, extracts the water, and dries the slab edge and the drywall behind the unit. Phones are answered 24/7.
A water heater leak is often found in the garage or the utility closet, where the tank sits on a slab and the wall behind it is out of sight. Water from a failed tank or a loose connection runs along the slab, collects at its edge and soaks into the bottom of the wall. The floor may look only mildly wet, while the drywall and the bottom plate behind the heater hold most of the water.
Tanks fail for many reasons: corrosion inside the tank, a relief valve that has stuck open, a drain valve that has worn, or a fitting that has loosened over the years. In a North Florida house, the heater may sit in a humid garage or a closet where its leak is not noticed until the floor is wet. The source matters less to the drying than the place where the water collected.
The cleanup is planned around the slab edge and the wall base rather than the middle of the floor. A slab that is wet at its edge can take a long time to release its moisture, and the drywall behind the heater can hold water for days. The crew measures those places first and dries them until the readings say they are dry.
Water runs down the tank's outside, collects at the base and wicks upward into the drywall and bottom plate behind the heater. The wall holds the water in its cavity, so the damage can be well above the floor and out of sight.
The tank sits close to the wall in most closets and garages, and the gap behind it is too narrow for air to reach. Water that gets in there stays for a long time, and the drywall is the first material to fail.
A bottom plate that stays wet can swell and begin to rot. The crew checks it with a meter and a probe, and any soft wood is reported to the repair trade rather than left to dry in place.
No. The heater should be off and its cold inlet closed before the crew starts. A gas heater should be off at the gas control, and an electric heater should be off at its breaker, and neither should be relit until a technician confirms it is safe.
A tank that is still heating while water runs under it is a shock hazard and, for a gas unit, a fire and carbon monoxide concern. The crew checks the wiring and the gas connection on arrival, and it asks you to keep the area clear until the heater is cleared.
The heater's pan and drain line should be checked by the technician before the unit is used again. A pan that is full of water or a drain line that is blocked is a common reason for a second leak.
Yes, at least at its edge and wherever the water pooled. Concrete holds water for a long time and releases it slowly, and it can wick moisture into the bottom of the walls above it. The slab is measured and dried, and its surface is cleaned if the water left residue.
Concrete that has been wet is usually dried in place. The surface is cleaned, and the air movers are placed to pull moisture off the surface while the dehumidifier pulls it from the room. The slab is released only when its readings reach the dry goal.
Surface staining from rust or mineral deposit from the tank can remain on the concrete after drying. That is a cosmetic matter for the owner to decide, and it does not affect the drying.
The volume of water, how long it sat, the size of the wet area, the wall construction and the amount of stored material decide the scope. The price is explained and approved on site before work begins, and changes are explained first.
A small leak caught early is usually a drying job with a small area of drywall opened. A heater that leaked for weeks can wet the wall, the bottom plate, the adjoining room and the flooring above, and the work grows with it.
Stored items in the garage or closet add to the scope. Boxes, paint, cardboard and shelving soak up water and need to be moved and cleaned. The crew photographs them before they are moved, so the record is complete.
A licensed plumber or the heater installer. The replacement is a separate job from the drying, and the crew tells you what the installer will need to see. Keep the heater off until the replacement is confirmed safe.
Replacement decisions often depend on the tank's age, its condition and the cost of the new unit. Those are matters for the plumber and for you, and this site does not recommend one over another.
The drying can run while the replacement is being arranged. The readings from the drying give the installer the information about the wall and the slab, which can change where the new unit is placed or how it is secured.
Turn off the heater and close the cold inlet valve before going near a leaking tank, and do not touch a hot tank or its pipes until they have cooled. Keep electrical outlets and cords out of the water, and do not relight a gas heater yourself after a leak. If you smell gas, leave the house and call the gas company from outside.
Turn the heater off at its power or gas control, then close the cold-water inlet valve above the tank. If the heater is gas, turn off the gas at the control and do not relight it until a technician has checked it. Then call.
The crew checks the slab edge, the wall base and the space behind the tank with meters. It also looks at the pan, the drain line and any exposed electrical or gas connections in the water.
Water on the slab is pumped or vacuumed out, and the crew works away from the tank first, so the water does not run back under it. Stored items near the heater are moved out of the wet area and photographed.
Drywall behind the tank is opened low on the wall where the readings are high. The bottom plate is checked for swelling, and any framing that is rotting is flagged for the repair trade.
Air movers and dehumidifiers dry the slab edge, the wall and the garage or closet to the dry goal. The readings are logged, and the heater replacement or repair is left to a licensed plumber or the installer.
A garage heater sits on the slab and is often close to the door, so its leak can mix with street water or rain. The garage is dried as a space with its own air, and the slab edge is checked along the whole wall where the tank stands.
A closet heater leaks into a small room with little air movement, so the water can stay in the wall for longer. The closet is opened where needed, and the adjoining room is checked through the shared wall.
A heater on a raised floor can drip through the flooring to the room below. The ceiling beneath the tank and the subfloor around it are measured, and the drying is planned for both levels.
If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent water heater leak damage, send the form and we'll call you back.
Water heaters in Jacksonville garages and closets sit in a warm, humid air that does not dry a leak quickly. A small drip can keep a slab edge damp for a long time, and the crew measures the edge before the job is called finished.
Many older houses in the city's historic neighborhoods, including Riverside and Avondale, put the water heater in a closet, a back hall or a crawl-space access rather than a garage. Those closets are small and enclosed, so the wall behind the tank is the hardest part to dry.
In condominiums and apartments near the city core, the heater can share a utility closet with the unit's electrical panel. The crew checks that the panel stays dry and off until the wiring has been checked, and the neighboring unit's wall is measured if it shares the closet wall.
Extraction and drying after a supply line or pipe bursts, including the wall and floor behind the leak.
Water extraction and drying after a washer, dishwasher, refrigerator or other appliance leaks into the floor and walls.
Air movement and dehumidification that dry floors, walls and framing to measured readings in humid North Florida air.
Extraction, cleaning and drying of businesses that took surge, storm or river water, scheduled around reopening.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
No. The crew dries the wet area and reports the condition of the tank and its connections. Replacement or repair of the heater is for a licensed plumber or the installer, and the crew tells you what to ask for.
The leak itself is not the main hazard, but a heater that is still connected can be a shock or a fire risk when it is wet. Keep the heater off until a technician has checked the wiring and the gas connection, and let the crew advise on the room's ventilation.
It depends on the amount of water, the thickness of the slab and the air in the garage or closet. Concrete is measured at its edge and its surface, and the drying runs until the readings reach the dry goal. The crew gives you a plan once the first readings are taken.
Sometimes. Drywall that stayed wet only at the bottom and dries to readings may be kept, with the lowest course replaced. Drywall that is soft, swollen or has lost its paper face is removed, and the crew shows you which parts it has marked.
A relief valve that drips can be a sign of excess pressure or a failing valve, and the technician should check it. The crew dries the area that was wet and records the drip pattern, which helps the technician find the cause.
It can, if the shared wall was wet or the water reached the adjoining floor. The crew measures the neighboring space, and it adds that space to the drying only when the readings show moisture there.