It's 11 PM, there's water spreading across the garage floor, and you're wondering what to do first. Take a breath — this guide walks you through it in order. Print it, save it, stick it on the water heater itself.
Leaking water can be scalding hot, and it may be near electrical equipment. Move children and pets out of the area immediately and keep them out until the situation is resolved.
Find the shutoff valve on the cold-water pipe entering the top of the heater (usually a lever or round handle). Turn it clockwise (lever: perpendicular to the pipe). This stops new water from feeding the leak.
Gas: turn the control knob on the gas valve to OFF. Electric: switch off the water heater's breaker at the electrical panel. Never skip this — heating an empty or leaking tank damages it and creates hazards.
Open a hot-water faucet somewhere in the house (a laundry sink is ideal). This lets pressure and remaining hot water drain safely instead of forcing its way out through the leak.
Don't hunt for the source. Get everyone out of the house, don't flip switches, and call the gas utility's emergency line from outside. Call us after the home is cleared.
Towels around the base, a bucket under a dripping valve, valuables and cardboard boxes moved to higher ground. Don't wade into standing water near the electrical panel or outlets.
Our emergency line is answered 24/7. Tell us what you see — where the water's coming from, whether it's hot, how fast it's spreading — and we'll talk you through anything you haven't done yet, then dispatch a technician. Most emergency leak calls in the Colton area are reached quickly, and fitting or valve leaks are usually fixed on the spot.
After the emergency: ask the technician to check your T&P valve, set the temperature to 120°F, and confirm you have a working shutoff valve. The best emergency is the one that never happens twice.
Need help now? Don't wait — call us now at (833) 713-2101. Our Colton team answers 24/7.
If you smell gas: gas utility first, from outside the home. For water leaks with no gas smell: call us directly at (833) 713-2101 — we handle the full repair.
Sudden leaks are typically covered; long-term neglected leaks often aren't. Document everything with photos and keep our invoice — it records the failure professionally.
Fitting and valve repairs restore hot water the same visit. Full replacements are usually completed same-day in the Colton area.
One call is all it takes. Talk to a real water heater leak specialist serving Colton and the Inland Empire — no pressure, no obligation.
Call (833) 713-2101
Water Heater Leak Repair Specialists