What should I do when the water heater starts leaking?
Shut off the water supply to the heater if you can reach the valve, and switch off the heater if it is electric and the area is dry enough to reach the breaker safely. Move items out of the closet and call (833) 490-5225.
Do not wade into standing water near an electric heater, and do not touch the unit if it is wet. Keep children and pets out of the closet and the room beyond it until the water is removed.
Photograph the leak and the floor before anything is moved. Those photographs help the claim file and show the crew where the water was when you first saw it.
Does a water heater leak mean the floor needs replacing?
Not always. Hard flooring that is sealed can often be cleaned and dried in place, provided the readings show the moisture has not reached the subfloor. Soaked subfloor panels and cabinet bases usually need replacement, and the crew shows you the readings that decide it.
The floor under a closet is often the most important test. A subfloor that has swelled or softened under the heater cannot be left, because it will not hold a new finish. The crew checks it at several points before any decision is made.
Carpet in the room beyond the closet is usually removed if the water reached it, because the pad holds water and does not dry back to a safe state. The removal is explained first.
Is the heater's failure the same as a burst line for the drying?
The drying method is similar, but the source differs and the water is usually concentrated in one room. A heater failure tends to put a lot of water on one floor quickly, while a burst line often runs through the framing for longer.
The crew reads the closet, the floor under the unit and the walls around it first, because that is where a heater failure usually leaves its mark. It then follows the water out through the door and into the rooms beyond.
The plumbing repair or replacement of the heater is a separate job. A plumber or electrician should carry out the replacement, and this page does not name a licence for that work in Louisiana, so ask in writing which licence applies.
What affects the cost of a water heater leak cleanup?
The volume of water, how far it reached, the number of materials that must be replaced, the access to the closet and the number of drying visits all change the cost. No figure is published here, and the price is explained and approved before work starts.
A heater that leaks into a closet with a tile floor is usually a smaller job than one that has run under a carpeted hallway and into a bedroom. The more rooms the water reaches, the more readings and removals follow.
The heater itself, and its replacement, are separate costs from the water damage. Ask for each estimate in writing and keep them together with the claim file.
When can the closet and floor be closed up after a heater leak?
They can be closed up when the readings in the floor, the wall bottoms and the subfloor have reached the dry goal and stayed there across more than one check. Closing them earlier can trap moisture behind new finishes.
The crew's report sets the dry goal and the readings that show it has been met. The equipment comes out when the report says so, and not before.
Permits can be needed where a water heater is moved or where plumbing or electrical work is changed. The Bossier Parish and City of Bossier City permit offices answer those questions for their own jurisdictions. Confirm the requirements before the closet is closed.
