Calabasas Water Heater Leaks: Cleanup First, Then a Permitted Replacement

What happens when a tank fails

Age is the main reason tanks fail. A lining protects the steel shell, and over time it wears and rust begins to eat through the metal.

A tank water heater holds enough water to soak a floor and the walls around it. When a seam cracks or a fitting fails, that water leaves the tank quickly.

A tank in the garage

Water spreads across the garage floor and under stored boxes. It may reach a door to the house and run beneath it.

Pumps and extraction units pull the water off the slab, and structural drying takes care of the wall bases and the door threshold.

A tank in a closet or utility room

Water runs into wall framing, baseboards and carpet in the rooms next to it. Walls hide the damage, so the area needs readings, not only a visual check.

Carpet next to the closet wicks water along its length, so the wet area is often much bigger than the puddle.

Shutting the water off safely

Stopping the water comes first. The steps are simple, and they limit how far the leak spreads.

If the shutoff valve will not turn, the main valve for the house stops the water instead.

A gas heater adds one more step. If there is any smell of gas, leave the house and call the gas utility from outside.

• Close the cold water supply valve on the pipe above the tank.
• Turn off the power at the breaker for an electric heater, or set a gas heater's control to off.
• Stay out of water that reaches outlets, cords or the heater's electrical connections.
• Photograph the tank, the water and the damaged items before anything is moved.
• Lift boxes, rugs and other contents off the wet floor.

The order of the work

Cleanup and replacement fit together in a clear sequence. Skipping a step usually costs more later.

The full scope sits under water heater leak cleanup, with extraction described under water extraction.

Extraction comes first because wet materials keep absorbing water the longer they sit. Replacing the tank on a wet floor traps moisture under the new work.

• Stop the water and make the area safe.
• Extract standing water and remove wet materials that cannot be dried.
• Dry the floor and the walls with air movers and dehumidifiers, and log the readings.
• Replace the tank, with any permit the work needs.
• Rebuild the finishes once the readings are in the dry range.

Permits for the replacement

The City of Calabasas Building and Safety FAQ says a plumbing, electrical or mechanical permit may be needed for changes to a building's existing system. It gives replacing a water heater as an example.

The same FAQ says no construction permit is needed for clearing stoppages in pipes, valves or fixtures. That covers a plumber who clears a blocked drain, but not a new tank.

The replacement date is usually set after drying, so the installer works in a dry space.

• The city runs an Online Permit Center for building permits.
• Not every permit type can be filed online, so check what applies before the old tank comes out.
• Ask the installer how the permit will be handled and when.

What the drying covers

A tank leak looks like a puddle, but the water often goes further. Drying looks at everything the water touched.

Moisture meters and a thermal camera find wet spots the eye misses, such as water behind a baseboard or under a cabinet kick plate. The crew checks the floor, the wall base and the rooms next to the tank.

• The floor under and around the tank, including any flooring that wicked water.
• The bottom of the walls, baseboards and the wall cavity behind them.
• Cabinets, shelves and stored contents that stood in the water.
• The door threshold and the floor in the room next to a garage.

Spotting trouble before a tank fails

A small drain pan under the tank and a working shutoff valve limit the damage when a leak starts. Both are worth checking at the same time as the tank itself.

Tanks give warnings before they fail. A quick look every few months can catch them.

For every service in the area, see the local water damage restoration page.

• Rust stains or moisture at the base of the tank.
• Water around the relief valve or the pipe fittings.
• Rumbling or popping while the heater runs.
• A tank that is old enough to be near the end of its life.