3 Steps To Take After Your Water Heater Breaks

2/10/2022 (Permalink)

Water from your leaking water heater is classified as “category 1,” meaning it’s clean water.

Steps To Deal With a Failed Water Heater

When faced with a leaking water heater, it can feel like a whirlwind of shock and confusion while you try to figure out what to do. Repairing water damage is costly, and you often have only a short amount of time to successfully protect your home and resolve the issue. Here are the first steps you need to take to deal with a failed water heater.

1. Shut Off the Main Water Supply

Shutting off the water as soon as possible ensures that no additional water floods your home. Otherwise, the water will just keep pouring in from the leaking water heater.

2. Call a Professional

If you are concerned about how much water impacted flooring and walls, it will be important to procure an expert’s help with water removal. Your local specialists in Pulaski, TN, will have the necessary insight and equipment to ensure that all water and hidden moisture from the broken water heater is safely removed, diminishing the risk of mold or rot from water damage.

3. Dry the Area

While you are waiting for your local water damage restoration professionals to arrive, you want to make sure you have no standing water ruining flooring and furniture, so do your best to dry the area thoroughly. This includes setting up industrial-sized fans, removing furniture and opening windows to encourage air flow.

4. Clean Where Necessary

Thankfully, water from your leaking water heater is classified as “category 1,” meaning it’s clean water. With category 1 floodwaters, there isn’t usually a pressing need to sanitize after a flooding situation. You’ll still want to clean and dry any affected furnishings to prevent black mold, but cleanup usually is less expensive overall.

In short, if your water heater malfunctions, shut off the water, call for backup and do what you can while you wait. By acting quickly and being prepared, you can set yourself up for a fast restoration process.