Water Heater Drain Valve Leaking and How to Fix It

If you find yourself dealing with a water heater drain valve leaking, you can wind up dealing with a myriad of problems. In many cases, the valve itself is the part of your water heater that is leaking. However, in other cases, it can wind up being the flange around your valve that is leaking. This is a particularly prevalent problem with your older water heaters.

Regardless of the specific problem, you don’t need to worry too much. More often than not, you can deal with the problem in a straightforward fashion.

How To Deal With A Water Heater Drain Valve Leaking

When it comes to dealing with your water heater drain valve leaking, your first option will be to tighten the valve. Capping your valve outlets is another possibility for dealing with small leaks. Finally, if all else fails, you can opt to have the drain valve for your water heater replaced entirely.

One of the annoying things about drain valves is their durability. The ones that come from the factories are made from plastic and aren’t terribly durable. Flushing it out can wind up tightening it, which can prove to be an effective means of solving your problem. If this doesn’t work, you may need to drain the water heater and replace the drain valve entirely. However, this is not your only solution. You can actually cap the whole thing, and call it a day more often than not.

If you do need to replace your water heater drain valve, don’t panic. This process is fairly straightforward. You will want to keep in mind that this project does require a certain measure of experience with home improvement projects. It will take you approximately an hour to complete this project.

In the end, replacement work isn’t your most likely outcome. Simply tightening the fittings on your drain valve can prove to be the most effective means of dealing with the problem. Also, as we mentioned before, capping your valve can also be a good way to take care of the more minor leaks. Replacement work can be handled by someone with an absolute minimum of handyperson experience. Nonetheless, in situations such as these, it is important to appreciate your limitations. When it comes to how to replace a water heater drain valve, you can’t really make the situation too much worse by making mistakes. However, if you don’t want to bother with the risk, then hire professional contractors to handle it.

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