water heater?

[EDM95]

My gas water heater is leaking from the base, and I need to figure out how to shut off the water supply feeding water into it and turn the gas off to the heater, and possibly drain the tank itself just so it stops leaking untill i can have a qualified technician come out & look at it. Can anyone tell me how to go about doing this?

 

[johnmarines]

There should be a water shutoff at the top of the waterheater... just follow the waterlines that go into the top . there should be two hoses... one that feeds the waterheater and the other that feeds the hot water to the house. also the gas line should be conected towards the bottom front, follow the hard pipe towards the wall and there should be a shutoff valve, turn it and the gas gets turned off hope this helps.

 

[EDM95]

Thanks, So I see where to shut the gas off I think it was the gas it said on, piolet, off and I turn it to the off and then on top I see only one place to shut off the water so I turn that all the way. So now can I drain out the water and be safe? Can I just turn on the hot water and drain it out like that?

 

[RoninEclipse2G]

There should be a spigot on the side that you can drain it out of. Most homes also have a floor drain near the water heater.

If it's leaking then its most likely that your tank has rusted out and the only thing you can do is replace the heater. This happened to me a few years back.

 

[EDM95]

I hook up a water hose to the heater and open the drain but no water comes out what am I doing wrong?

 

[steve]

Make sure to open a hot water faucet so you don't have a vacuum keeping the water from draining.

 

[EDM95]

Did I turn off the gas right? It said on, pilot, off and I turned the knob to off.

 

[steve]

That should have turned off the water heater using the gas but there should also be a valve on the gas line that shuts off the feed to the heater. Shutting that off then allows you to disconnect the gas line from the heater when it's being replaced.

 

[EDM95]

so the gas is shut off to the water heater just don't disconnect the gas line from the heater?
I now need to drain out the water because it's leaking. So now can I drain out all the water from the heater and be safe?

 

[steve]

Replacing a Water Heater: Plans and Instructions | Plumbing Projects | Reader's Digest
Step-by-Step Pictures and Instructions For Replacing a Water Heater | Plumbing Projects | Reader's Digest

Once the gas is off you can drain the water and if your handy replace it yourself. It's pretty easy with a few basic skills and tools. Easier than working on a DSM.

 

[EDM95]

Thanks.

 

[Black91TSiAWD]

the diaphragm may or may not be pretty well waterlogged if its an old unit, so you might not be able to get all the water out of it.

 

[steve]

I've seen diaphragm pressure tanks and hot water expansion tanks but never a diaphragm in a hot water heater. Do you have a link to one?

 

[Black91TSiAWD]

whoops my bad, I thought he said somewhere in there he was trying to drain the system as well, and kinda brought myself to thinking of a waterlogged expansion tank.

After re-reading I see he doesnt have that problem

 

[brownfinger]

It probably isn't draining just because the drain spigot is clogged. You might be able to clear the spigot w/ a piece of wire or something. It will be clogged with calcium, rust or whatever the sediment of choice is in your local water.
Put a small bucket under the spiggot and open it all the way. Then start poking in it with a stiff wire untill you get some flow, then hook up your hose. But also do as Steve said; you have to open a "hot" valve on at least one sink in the system while your trying to drain it to allow air in to displace the water.