Water Heater Repair and Installation in Lithonia, GA

A heater in a basement, garage or crawlspace can end up standing in water after a storm, a burst pipe or a drain backup. Water heater repair after that kind of event starts with not switching anything back on too soon. What happens next in a Lithonia home depends on whether the unit burns gas, heats with electric elements or works without a tank.

Identify the heater and how high the water reached

Gas tanks have a vent pipe on top, a burner compartment at the bottom and a gas line with a shutoff valve. Electric tanks have no vent and take power through a cable at the top, with the elements and thermostats behind side panels. Tankless units hang on a wall, often above shallow water, but their electronics do not tolerate moisture. Note the water line on the jacket or the wall, since it matters whether the water reached the burner, the controls or the lower element. Type-specific help: gas water heater repair in Lithonia, electric water heater service and tankless water heaters.

What not to do

• Do not relight a gas heater, or turn its control back on, if water reached the burner or gas control.
• Do not restore power to an electric heater whose wiring, thermostats or elements got wet.
• Do not stand in water to reach a breaker panel; if the panel area is wet, leave it to the power company or an electrician.
• Do not open the heater's drain valve into a space that is still flooded.

Flood water leaves silt and corrosion inside controls, burners and electrical parts where nobody can see it. The manuals of many gas water heaters say not to use the heater if any part has been under water and to have submerged control parts replaced by a qualified technician.

What a plumber checks before it runs again

On a gas heater, the burner, pilot or igniter, gas control and vent are inspected, and parts that were under water are replaced; if the insulation inside the jacket stayed soaked, a new heater can be the more sensible choice. On an electric tank, the wiring, thermostats and elements are dried, tested or replaced before power goes back on. A tankless unit's circuit board, fan and sensors get the same scrutiny, and debris is cleared from around the base and burner chamber. If the heater has to be replaced, Alpha compares gas, electric and tankless options for Georgia homes.

Gas smells, leaks and rising water

If you smell gas at any point, leave the house and call the gas utility or 911 from outside. If the heater itself has started leaking, close the cold-water valve feeding it. Water still rising, or sewage coming up through floor drains, calls for emergency plumbing in Lithonia.

Lithonia permits for a replacement

The city's permit checklist lists water heater replacement among the jobs that need a permit, so replacing a heater lost to flooding is permitted work. Permits come from the Building and Permitting Division and go to contractors who hold the proper license, or to an owner who lives in the home and files a homeowner affidavit.

Questions about water heaters after flooding in Lithonia

Can a water heater be saved after it was under water?

Sometimes. A tank that only had water around its base, below the burner or lower element, may need little more than a check. If water reached the gas control, burner, thermostats or wiring, those parts have to be replaced, and a soaked jacket and insulation can let the tank rust from the outside. A plumber can weigh the cost of parts against a new heater.

What if water only touched the floor around the heater?

If the water stayed below the burner door on a gas tank or below the lower panel on an electric one, and the controls stayed dry, the heater may be fine once the area is dry and the cause of the water is fixed. Watch for rust streaks or a damp jacket over the following weeks, and have it checked if in doubt.

After the water recedes

Before you relight or power up a heater that got wet, call Alpha Plumbing and Sewer at (404) 409-4448 to have it checked.