Water is leaking from my hot water cylinder!

It can be very stressful if you discover you have a leaking hot water cylinder. If you have some form of home emergency cover then now would be a good time to contact them to see if they can help!

If not, then a local plumber or engineer should be able to come and replace or repair your hot water cylinder.

What can you do about your leaking hot water cylinder in the meantime?

If your hot water cylinder is leaking and you want to minimise the damage the cylinder can cause, then the following steps will enable you to shut off the water supply and stop the leak safely and effectively.

• Turn the supply pipe’s gate valve in a clockwise direction to shut off the hot water cylinder’s supply of cold water.
• If you cannot find the gate valve, then turn your main stopcock off to shut off your domestic water supply. Then turn on all the taps in your home to drain your plumbing system.
• If you cannot access your stopcock or if the stopcock is stuck, then locate the float arm in your cold water cistern, and lift or tie this up until water stops flowing into the cistern. Then turn on your taps and flush your toilet to drain your plumbing system.
• Water will now have stopped flowing into your hot water cylinder, although the water that was already within the appliance may continue to leak out of it.
• Turn off your boiler and turn off your immersion heater.
• Find your cylinder drain valve and attach a hose to this. The valve is usually at the bottom of hot water cylinders, where the cold water supply pipe enters the appliance.
• Put the other end of the hose somewhere suitable, such as an outside drain or your sink. Water will begin flowing out of it when you turn the cylinder drain valve.
• Use a pair of pliers or a drain valve key to open up the drain valve.
• Contact 24|7 Home Rescue to make a claim on your plumbing and drainage cover. If you do not have a service plan with us, then contact a local plumber to arrange emergency plumbing repairs. You will need to have your hot water cylinder repaired or replaced.

Still having problems with your hot water cylinder?

Contact us on 0345 3192 247 and we can help! Our technical teams will run through some simple troubleshooting tips with you to see if your problem can be resolved over the phone. If not, we’ll send a highly skilled and qualified plumber round to get your plumbing problems sorted as soon as possible.

There could be a number of reasons for your leaking cylinder so it’s better to trust the professionals. After all, you could end up making it worse and you could be faced with a hefty bill to pay to repair the damage. We help, we repair, we care.

247 Home Rescue accepts no liability for any injuries or damages you sustain following the advice on this website. If in doubt, seek professional assistance.