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Your water heater may be leaking from the drain valve, or maybe you just flushed the tank and the valve won’t shut off. It’s time to replace the valve.
These valves are typically made of plastic and it’s no wonder they can’t be trusted to shut off the water when you need it. You can buy replacement drain valves for about $10.00.
You can choose to drain the water heater or not. Regardless, start by turning off the control valve (if gas) or turn off the power (if electric). If you choose to drain the tank, connect a hose to the valve and open the valve to drain the water. If you choose not to drain the tank, keep the water on to the tank and open a hot water faucet near the tank. When the water runs cool you can turn off the faucet, and close the water supply valve to the tank. Realize that you will be working quickly and will lose only a few cups of water from the tank. This all hinges upon nobody in the house turning the water on. So long a the water is off to the tank and nobody turns the water on inside the house (allowing air into the system), the water will not fully run out of the tank.
Use a wrench and unscrew the old drain valve. Have the new valve ready to screw back in after wrapping the threads with Teflon tape. Like I said, a few cups of water will drip out so long as nobody opens a faucet inside the house. Screw on the new valve until snug and turn the water back on, checking for leaks.
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