What to do if the gas water heater leaks?

The phrase "gas water heater" usually refers to a flow-through gas water heater, which is installed for heating water in homes not connected to the central heating system. This method of heating has many advantages, not the least of which is independence from the utilities and preventive maintenance, which allows you to always have heat and hot water in the house.

However, the residents of houses connected to the gas pipeline have a lot of problems. One of the most frequent troubles is a breakdown of gas equipment, which can entail very serious, and even life-threatening consequences. Read about what to do if you find a leak in your gas water heater in our article today.

We've compiled a list of the most common reasons why a gas water heater starts to leak. So, if you have suspected the presence of a leak, the cause may be one of the following:

• The water flow connectors have worn out. That is, in other words, the rubber gaskets located between the hose and the pipe need to be replaced.
• A heat exchanger, that is, a kind of "tank" in which water is heated, has burst. The pipes connected to it are constantly subject to temperature changes, and as a result they can deform and corrode.
• Regular preventive maintenance has not been carried out. The gas boiler is a piece of equipment that needs periodic inspection and maintenance, in order to prevent breakdowns. If these responsibilities are neglected, a leak can appear unexpectedly.

Having found the cause of the leak, we can proceed to fix it. Our further actions will depend on which part of the gas heater is the source of the leak.

The fact that there is a crack or hole in the radiator is signaled by the presence of green stains on this part. The work order to fix a leak in the radiator will be as follows:

• Shut off the water pipes so that no water flows into the speaker. Disconnect the water hoses from the column. Drain the remaining water from the radiator. To remove the liquid from the coil, use a vacuum cleaner or pump.
• Armed with sandpaper, clean the damaged areas. Then treat these areas with a degreasing solution and wipe dry.
• Take a soldering iron with solder, which can be used at temperatures above 180 degrees (soldering iron power must be at least 100 watts). Grind a piece of rosin or grind a pill of aspirin into a powder. Sprinkle this mixture on the working surface.
• Heating the soldering iron to the desired temperature, build up the solder to the height of about 0.2 cm.
• Repeat this procedure for each through damage.

Alexander Gerasimov in his video will show and tell you how to properly solder the radiator of a gas water heater by yourself.

Quite often you can find a leak in the threaded joints between the parts of the gas water heater. Pay attention to which pipe is leaking: the left pipe usually supplies water for heating, and the right pipe usually supplies gas. As a rule, water starts leaking from the pipe if the gasket is worn out. Changing this part is very easy.

1. The first thing to do is to block the water supply.
2. Then disassemble the connection, in which the problem is detected (use for this purpose a normal wrench). Remove the worn gasket.
3. Clean and degrease the connecting elements.
4. If the thread on the American nut is damaged it must be replaced.
5. Then install a new rubber gasket and reassemble the connection.

Sometimes a leak is detected not in the tube connection but in the tube itself. Experts advise that if you find cracks and small holes in the tubes, use the same method that is used to fix the leak in the radiator, that is, solder. However, if you don't take proper care, it is not always possible to detect damage in time. If you catch it too late and the tube is so rotten that it cannot be repaired, you will have to replace it.

Those who have encountered such a problem say that it is very difficult to find a suitable tube, even in stores that specialize in the sale of gas equipment. As a replacement for the tube, you can use a corrugated stainless steel hose or a flexible water supply line.

How to properly solder the tube without damaging it and prolonging the life of the gas water heater, you can see in the video of Vladimir Pekar, which is presented below.

Another possible place where leaks can occur is in the gas water junction. If water starts oozing out of it, the stem o-ring is most likely worn out. This part will be easy enough to replace.

There are six screws holding the parts of the water assembly together - we unscrew these fasteners first. Then we disconnect the two parts of the assembly body. From the inside we remove the diaphragm, the spring and the plate with the rod, which is a round disc with a metal pin. If you unscrew this pin, under it you can find a rubber ring - this is the seal. Remove the worn ring, put a new one in its place and assemble the assembly in the reverse order.