Water pouring from a failed tank is an emergency, and 24/7 emergency dispatch covers Pelham homes. Shut the cold inlet valve on top of the heater, turn the gas control off, or flip the breaker only if you can reach the panel from dry footing, and move anything valuable off the floor. Then call so a licensed plumber can come and take the tank out.
Water heater replacement means removing the old tank, setting a new heater, reconnecting water, gas or electric, venting and the relief valve, and testing the result. How long it takes depends on fuel, venting, access and whether the right unit is available or has to be ordered, and the plumber will tell you once those are known.
A tank dumping water: the first hour
A steady leak from the bottom of the tank can be the shell wearing through, which cannot be patched. A drain valve or lower element gasket is the other possibility, and the plumber will check before calling it.
What you control is how much water the house takes in before the plumber arrives, so cut the supply and get the water out of the room. The water in a failed tank can be scalding, so keep clear of the tank and its discharge pipe until it cools.
- Close the cold water valve above the heater, or the main shutoff valve if that one is stuck. If you cannot find it, call the 24/7 line and the dispatcher will talk you through it.
- Set the gas control to off for a gas heater. For an electric heater, switch off the breaker only if you can reach the panel from dry footing.
- If a drain valve is within reach, attach a hose and run it to a floor drain or outdoors. Otherwise leave the draining to the plumber.
- If there is standing water near outlets, appliances or the panel, keep out and call the 24/7 line.
- Use a wet vac or towels for pooled water, and run a fan toward any wet drywall.
- Take photos of the tank, the label and the water damage before you clean up.
Gas smell or scorch marks
If you smell gas or see soot around the burner, leave the house and call your gas utility or 911 from outside. A flooded burner chamber is not something to relight yourself.
Emergency replacement versus a scheduled swap
If the tank is actively leaking, it is emergency work, dispatched at any hour including weekends and holidays. If the heater is old but still working, you have time. Same-day appointments when available can cover it, and you can use the extra time to choose the unit. If you cannot tell which case you are in, call and describe the tank.
For a heater that is only misbehaving, start with the symptom list on water heater repair. A bad thermostat on a young tank is a different decision than a seeping base on an old one. If the plumber finds the shell is intact, you may save yourself a replacement.
Picking the size: tank capacity by household
Size is about the hot water you use in the busiest hour of the day, not the total house size. A bigger tank holds more hot water in reserve but costs more to keep warm. A tank that is too small runs out when two showers and the dishwasher overlap.
| Household | Typical hot water pattern | Tank direction |
|---|---|---|
| One or two people, one bathroom | Short showers, light laundry | Smaller tank, 30 to 40 gallons |
| Three or four people, two bathrooms | Overlapping morning showers | Mid-size tank, 40 to 50 gallons |
| Five or more, large tub or two heavy-use bathrooms | Back-to-back showers, big tubs, laundry | Larger tank, 50 gallons and up, or consider a different type |
| Any household with a recovery problem | Runs out partway through the evening | Higher recovery rate or a second unit, not just more gallons |
The old label tells you the capacity of what you had. It does not tell you whether that was ever right. These ranges are rules of thumb, and the rating plate and your household's hot water habits decide the final size. Makers also publish a first-hour rating, which is how much hot water a full heater can deliver in its busiest hour. Tell the plumber who uses the hot water and when, and compare that rating against the answer.
Swapping gas for electric, or the reverse
Replacing like for like is the simplest path because the gas line, vent or electrical circuit is already there. Changing fuel type means new work. Gas to electric needs a dedicated circuit sized for the heating elements, and electric to gas needs a gas line and a vent to the outside.
Moving to a heat pump unit adds its own needs, including clearance for airflow and a condensate drain. A switch to an on-demand heater changes the gas line and venting even more, and the details are on the tankless water heater page.
Alabama's Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board Rule 720-X-1-.02 names the 2021 International Residential Code for residential plumbing and gas work and the 2021 International Plumbing Code (IPC) for commercial plumbing, so check the board for the current edition. Whether your swap needs a permit depends on the job, so ask the Pelham Building Department at 205.620.6495. Your plumber can describe the work, and the department can tell you what applies.
Expansion tanks, pans and other extras plumbers check
When a tank comes out, plumbers look at the extras around it. These are an expansion tank, a drain pan with a pipe to a safe spot, new shutoff valves and connectors, and the vent. The relief valve discharge pipe should run to a safe point and never be capped. Each one is explained on the water heater installation page, so ask the plumber which of them your swap needs.
How the day of the swap goes
Look and confirm
The plumber checks fuel, vent, space, water pressure and the shutoffs, then confirms the price with you before work starts.
Drain and disconnect
Power or gas is shut off, the old tank is drained, and the water, gas or electric lines come off.
Set and connect
The new heater goes in place with fresh connectors, the relief valve and any expansion tank or pan.
Fill, test and light
The tank is filled before it is powered, leaks are checked, and the burner or elements are tested.
Old unit
Ask who takes the old unit away and have disposal listed in the quote you agree to, so it is not a surprise at the end.
Keep the paperwork: invoice, photos and the utility
Pelham Water Works has a leak adjustment policy that looks at usage above a set multiple of your recent average, and it excludes leaks that are readily detectable. A tank you could see leaking is the kind of leak that may be excluded, so do not count on an adjustment.
That is policy at time of writing, so confirm current terms with Pelham Water Works at 205.620.6420, and see the water meter leak detection page for the full rules. Keep your invoice and your photos in one place either way, since your insurer may ask for them too.
What moves the price of a water heater replacement
We quote a clear price before work starts, and these are the things that change it.
Ask your insurer what your policy covers and keep photos and the plumber's invoice. A maker's warranty may cover some parts for a limited time. Call with the tank's age and the plumber will talk through what to expect.
Heater failed and leaking?
24/7 emergency dispatch takes failed-tank calls at any hour, and same-day appointments when available can cover a planned swap. Call the Pelham line and describe the tank.
Helena homes are served from the same dispatch through the Helena plumbers page, and larger remodel work is covered under plumbing installation.
Water heater replacement questions
Yes. A failed, spilling tank is dispatched at any hour, including weekends and holidays, and licensed plumbers come to shut off, drain and remove it. Whether a replacement unit is available right away or has to be ordered, the plumber will tell you.
If the unit is still working and you are only worried about its age, a daytime visit or a same-day appointment when available is enough.
Often, yes, as long as it still fits your household and your space. It is the simplest swap.
Before you reorder the same thing, ask whether the old size ran out of hot water, and whether the vent, pan and valves around it are still in good shape.
Three things govern it: how long the tank takes to fill, whether the vent or fuel line changes, and whether the unit is available or has to be ordered. The water heats after the tank is full and the burner or elements are running.
Changes in fuel type or venting take longer and may need a second visit. The plumber will give you a window once those answers are known.
If the water is coming through the shell of the tank, yes. The steel cannot be repaired.
If the water is coming from a fitting or the relief valve, it may be a repair, and the water heater repair page explains how the plumber tells which.
Possibly not. The policy at time of writing covers leaks that are not readily detectable, so a tank you could see leaking may not qualify. Confirm current terms with Pelham Water Works, and see the water meter leak detection page for the details.
Keep your plumber's invoice and photos of the damaged tank so you have something to file.
Disconnecting the old tank is part of a swap. Whether disposal is included varies, so ask that it be listed in the price you agree to before work starts.