Pro Handyman Blog

Water heater leaks happen, and when they do, it can be very messy. Depending on how quickly a homeowner discovers the leak, the subsequent damage can be minimal or significant.

In many homes, the water heater sits on a pedestal that is covered in drywall. When the water heater leaks, the water will saturate the drywall and, depending on how long it takes to be discovered, can spread to adjoining walls. You may see water on your garage floor, or you may smell a musty odor that leads you to discovering the leak. I know of many stories of drywall replacement, drying out carpeting, and mold remediation because of water heater leaks then went unnoticed.

You can install a water heater pan and drain line to avoid this mess. Installing a water heater pan can be a significant chore as you have to drain the water heater and lift it up enough to slide the pan underneath it. Once the pan is installed, you can run a drain line out from the pan to direct any leak away from the pedestal.

You can run the drain line with a couple of threaded fittings at the pan, and then pipe it down to the garage floor and add an elbow at the end of the pipe. If you have a leak, the water will end up on the garage floor.