A Lincoln Heights homeowner in southeast Spokane called about a leaking water heater. By the time we got there someone had already slid a bucket under the tank, which is the universal sign that a water heater has been losing the argument for a while.
The Call
The request was straightforward: water under the heater, tell us what it will take. The tank sits in the basement laundry area, a few feet from stored clothes and shelving, so this was not a leak anyone wanted to sit on over a weekend.
What We Found
The existing unit was a 50 gallon power vent gas water heater, and the water was coming from the tank rather than from a fitting. That distinction decides the whole job. A drip at a connector, a relief valve or a drain valve is a repair. Water coming out of the tank means the steel has given up and there is nothing to tighten.
A bucket buys time, but it only catches what runs straight down. Once a tank starts weeping it does not stop, and the failure mode people get caught by is not the drip. It is the seam letting go all at once with fifty gallons behind it.
The Replacement
We replaced it the same day. The old heater came out and a new 50 gallon Bradford White power vent gas water heater went in, matched to the existing vent configuration so the basement did not need reworking around it.
New water connections went on with a shutoff at the cold inlet and corrugated stainless steel connectors. We installed a thermal expansion tank above the unit and strapped the heater with earthquake straps. Everything was leak tested before we left, and the job was permitted and inspected through the City of Spokane.
Total time on site was about four hours, and the homeowner had hot water back the same afternoon.
Before and After
Materials and Equipment
- 50 gallon Bradford White power vent gas water heater
- Thermal expansion tank
- New shutoff at the cold inlet
- Corrugated stainless steel water heater connectors
- Earthquake straps
- City of Spokane permit and inspection
- Old water heater removed and disposed of
Warranty
The tank carries its manufacturer warranty, and the installation is covered by our workmanship warranty.
Serving Lincoln Heights and Southeast Spokane
We work Lincoln Heights, East Central and the streets either side of 14th and Ray, from Underhill Park across to Southeast Boulevard and up toward Sprague. Basements in this part of town were built when a water heater was expected to live in the laundry room, and a tank that fails down there takes the stored boxes with it. If you have found water under yours, our water heater team can tell you within a few minutes whether it is a fitting or the tank. We also install tankless water heaters where the venting and gas line suit them, and we offer financing on full replacements. Our Raptor Titanium membership covers an annual water heater flush and inspection, priority scheduling and a five year warranty on plumbing installations.
Need a water heater looked at?
If there is a bucket under your water heater, that is the tank talking. We will come look at it today if we can.