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Water Heater Emergencies quote

Fuel or power off and the cold valve closed first. Then tell us the address, whether the heater is gas or electric and where the water is coming from, and we connect you with a licensed, insured plumber who covers your town.

Would you rather talk it through? Call (315) 640-3590.

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$100 off your first job

Credited by us on your first booked job.

One credit per customer per property, on your first booked job.
Valid through December 31, 2026.

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The emergency, the house, and how to reach you

Who should we ask for?

Your name

How can we reach you?

We call to confirm the details before anyone is sent out.

Phone

Email

Where is the property?

The contractor match is by property, not by person, so the street line matters.

Street address

City or town

State

ZIP code

Anything else we should know?

Details (optional)

Your $100 credit is attached to this request. Mention this offer when you book. See terms.

Your details are used only to respond to this request and arrange the service.

Once you press send

A person reads it. It is not sold to lead buyers and it is not an auto-reply: someone looks at whether the water has stopped, what is near power or gas, and whose home it is.
Your request goes to a licensed, insured plumber who works your town, who contacts you on the number you give. If it sounds like the utility's pipe rather than yours, you are told that instead.
There is no phone number on this site yet. We would rather say so than print one we cannot vouch for, so the form is the way in. While you wait, keep the main shutoff closed and photograph everything before it is moved.

Five entries are mandatory: name, phone number, email, the property's street address and its ZIP code. The questions and the message box can be skipped. The ZIP code picks the plumber who covers that town, the street line tells them which house, and the address never appears in our logs.

Overview

A leaking tank is water, heat and fuel at once

A water heater that is leaking has three things attached to it: a tank of water hot enough to burn, a cold supply that keeps refilling it, and gas or electric power. That is why the order matters. Fuel or power off first, then the cold water valve feeding the tank, then the water on the floor. National Grid counts a continuous flow of water leaking from a gas water heater as a gas emergency in its own right. Once the fuel and water are off, a leaking tank is not getting worse, and the urgent part is short: make it safe, drain it if it needs draining, and get the rest of the house back on water. Choosing and fitting a replacement is a separate, planned job. No hot water with nothing leaking and no gas smell is often a next-morning problem. Tell us what the heater is doing and we connect you with a licensed, insured plumber.

Making a leaking gas or electric tank safe: fuel or power off, cold supply closed, tank drained
Finding where the water is coming from: the tank body, a fitting on top, the drain valve or the relief valve
A relief valve discharge pipe that will not stop running
Replacing a failed temperature and pressure relief valve
Leaking cold inlet or hot outlet connections, and a valve above the heater that will not close
No hot water from a gas heater: pilot and gas control checks
No hot water from an electric heater: a tripped breaker, the high limit reset, a thermostat or an element
No hot water after a power outage
Leaks and fault codes on tankless water heaters
Making a failed tank safe so the replacement can be quoted and permitted in daylight

Neatly opened basement wall exposing a repaired copper line and studs

Assessment

What decides whether a water heater problem is urgent

A water heater problem can be anything from a reset button to a failed tank. These are what a plumber looks at to tell which one you have, and how much of it has to happen tonight.

Gas or electric

On a gas heater, a steady leak is something National Grid lists as a gas emergency, and any smell of gas means leaving the house. On an electric heater, the danger is water near a live circuit, and the CPSC's own advice is to shut off the current at the breaker before touching the tank.

Where the water is coming from

A leak at a fitting, a connection or the drain valve can often be repaired in place. Water coming from the body of the tank usually means the tank itself has failed. The plumber needs to see which before anything else is decided.

What the relief valve is doing

Water from the relief valve pipe can mean the valve has failed, or that it is working because pressure or temperature in the tank is too high. New York's residential code requires it to open at no more than 150 psi or 210 degrees Fahrenheit, and allows no shutoff between the valve and the tank, so that pipe should never be capped or plugged.

Whether there is a pan under the tank

New York's residential code calls for a drained pan under a tank heater installed where a leak would cause damage, but does not require a pan drain for a replacement where none was fitted before. Many older basements have neither, so the water simply spreads across the floor.

Whether water has spread beyond the heater

The standard ISO HO-3 homeowners form excludes a worn or corroded part itself, while an exception covers resulting water damage from an accidental discharge. So photograph the damage to floors and belongings separately from the heater, and ask your insurer how your own policy reads.

Whether the tank can be repaired or has to be replaced

Onondaga County Plumbing Control requires a permit before a new water heater is installed, because wrong connections, venting or clearances can cause shock or fire. A failed tank at night usually means making it safe now and having the replacement quoted and permitted properly, not a midnight swap.

What is stored near a gas heater

The CPSC warns that gas appliances, including older water heaters, can ignite flammable vapors, and says never to store gasoline or flammable liquids in a utility room or garage. Paint cans and fuel beside a leaking heater are moved before anyone works on it.

Next Step

Tank made safe, and not sure it can wait?

Making a water heater safe and replacing it are two different jobs. Only the first one is urgent.

Start Your Quote Call (315) 640-3590

Process

Leaking water heater: what to turn off, in order

If you smell gas, leave
Go outside with everyone in the house, then phone National Grid on 1-800-892-2345 or 911 from there. National Grid says not to touch light switches, appliances or thermostats, pull plugs or light anything on the way out.
Turn off the fuel or the power
On a gas heater, turn the control on the tank to off. On an electric heater, switch off its breaker in the panel, and only if you can reach the panel without standing in water. The CDC advises turning power off at the main breaker when equipment is wet or near water.
Close the cold water valve feeding the tank
It is on the cold pipe that runs into the top of the heater. With it closed, the tank stops refilling and the leak slows to what is left inside. If it will not close, close the main shutoff for the house instead.
Keep clear of the hot water
The water in the tank and on the floor can scald. The CPSC says most adults suffer third degree burns from 140 degree water in six seconds. Keep children and pets out of the room and let the water cool before anyone drains the tank.
Photograph the heater, its label and the water
The label carries the make, model and date the plumber and the insurer will both ask for. Photograph where the water is coming from and how far it has spread before anything is moved, because the insurer may want to see the damage as it was.
Tell your insurer if the water has damaged anything
Notify by phone, then in writing, and keep copies. Keep the receipt for tonight's make-safe work separate from any quote for replacement.
Replacement, if it comes to that, in daylight
A new heater needs an Onondaga County plumbing permit before it goes in, so the replacement is quoted, permitted and installed as planned work once the emergency is over. The plumber files the permit; ask to see it.

In The Field

What water heater emergencies looks like

Closed dry electrical panel with a wet floor patch several feet away

Gloved hand holding a smartphone photographing a split copper pipe with the screen dark and out of focus

Scope

What a water heater emergency covers, and what is planned work

When you may not need this at all

No hot water, no leak and no smell of gas is rarely an emergency. On an electric heater, check whether its breaker has tripped. After a power cut, give the tank time to reheat before booking anyone.
A puddle that turns out to be a nearby pipe dripping onto the tank, or condensation, is not a failed heater. Dry the floor, watch where the water comes back, then decide.
If the tank is leaking slowly into a pan with a working drain, and the fuel and cold supply are off, the job can usually be booked as daytime work rather than tonight.
If you rent in the City of Syracuse, the city's property code requires the owner to furnish adequate hot water unless your unit has its own heater, so the first call is to your landlord.
If water is leaking from the relief valve pipe only occasionally, it is worth having looked at, but a few drops with the tank otherwise normal is not a reason to pay for a night visit.

What is out of scope

Choosing a replacement heater, its type or its fuel. That is planned work, quoted once the emergency is over.
Gas leaks and gas piping. A smell of gas is National Grid's emergency first, and the customer's gas piping beyond the meter is a separate job.
Anything that heats the house rather than the water.
Drying out a basement or finished floor after the tank has leaked.
Electrical work in the panel beyond switching the heater's circuit off.
Water softeners, filters and treatment equipment.

Coverage

Water heater emergencies across the Syracuse area

Questions

What people ask when the water heater gives out

Is a leaking water heater dangerous?

It can be, for three reasons: the water can scald, there is gas or power attached, and National Grid lists a continuous flow of water leaking from a gas water heater as a gas emergency. Turn the fuel or power off and close the cold supply, and most of the danger goes with it. If you smell gas, leave the house first.

Can a water heater explode?

Every tank heater in New York is required to have a temperature and pressure relief valve set to open before the tank reaches 150 psi or 210 degrees, with nothing installed that could stop it discharging. The danger is a relief valve that has been capped, plugged or has failed. If you are unsure, turn the fuel or power off and keep away from the tank until a plumber has seen it.

Does it need replacing tonight?

Rarely. Once the fuel and the cold supply are off, a leaking tank is not getting worse. A new heater needs a county plumbing permit before it is installed, and a replacement quoted in daylight can be compared rather than accepted at midnight because the basement is wet.

Will insurance pay for a leaking water heater?

Only your insurer can answer that for your policy. The standard ISO HO-3 form excludes wear, tear and corrosion of the part that failed, while an exception covers resulting water damage from an accidental discharge. So the tank and the damage it caused are two separate questions, and it is worth photographing them separately.

I have no hot water but nothing is leaking. Is that an emergency?

Usually not tonight, unless you smell gas. Check whether an electric heater's breaker has tripped, or whether a gas heater's pilot is out, then send the details for a daytime visit. If you rent, your landlord is the first call.

Where is the cold water valve for the water heater?

On the cold pipe running into the top of the tank, usually a lever or a round handle a short distance above the heater. If there is none, or it will not close, the main shutoff where the water comes into the house does the same job for the whole house.

Next Step

Gas or electric, tank or tankless?

Say which, and where the water is. It tells the plumber what tonight's job is before they get there.