Help! Water leaking from water heater hot water outlet

[David-and-Cheryl]

I discovered a puddle of water in my Landmark's basement, and traced it to a steady drip from the hot water outlet on the back side of the heater.

See the attached photo. I've tightened the white compression nut, but that didn't help. It actually doesn't appear that the water is dripping from that nut at all, as the area where the nut meets the black pipe connection is dry. The drip seems to be originating from lower on the black pipe, closer to where it enters the water heater.

That black fitting seems to be plastic, unlike the brass connection between the compression nut on the cold water side and the heater itself. The black fitting is round, so there's no good way to grip it with a pair of channel locks (I tried) to tighten it.

Any suggestions on what to do here? My guess is that the black fitting has a small crack in it, and that's where the leak is coming from, but that's just a guess. Before I go draining the heater and disassembling the hot water outlet, I thought I'd check for other opinions from some of the more experienced folks here. (In the meantime I've jury-rigged a funnel going to a hose to direct the dripping water outside.)

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[danemayer]

Hi David and Cheryl,

I'm afraid you must have one of the last plastic check valves. For a time, environmental issues caused manufacturers to use plastic check valves, but a few years ago the introduction of low cost very-low-lead brass fittings fueled a switch to brass.

You'll have to drain the water heater and detach the swivel fitting. Then comes the hard part - removing the plastic check valve. If you're very lucky, you'll be able to unscrew it and put in a brass fitting. Unfortunately, the older the fitting, the more likely it is to come out in fragments, requiring you to clean the plastic out of the metal threads of the water heater. You may find a hacksaw blade or dental pick helpful. But some care is required to keep from damaging the metal threads.

You'll want a fitting like this one, but since the old fitting has male threads on both ends, you'll also need a close nipple like this. You may be able to find these fittings at your local hardware store.

Our owner-written Water Heater Troubleshooting Guide has additional instructions and pictures starting on page 14.

 

[JohnDar]

That has been a common problem with the cheap plastic check valve fitting. You will need to remove it and replace it with a brass one. Hardest part is getting the plastic one out without it breaking into pieces. Clean the threads with a wire brush before putting the brass one in to get all the plastic out.

 

[MTPockets]

Naturally, my plastic valve broke. I picked up an easy-out tool that grips the inside diameter, and was able to remove the plastic piece.. Replaced with brass. I had to order the brass check valve from Tweety's.

 

[wrgrs50s]

Naturally, my plastic valve broke. I picked up an easy-out tool that grips the inside diameter, and was able to remove the plastic piece.. Replaced with brass. I had to order the brass check valve from Tweety's.

Another way to remove plastic threads if broken off is to use a soldering iron. I melted the plastic threads in 2 places then used a pick to pull the 2 halves out.

 

[David-and-Cheryl]

Thanks everyone. That's exactly the info I needed, and a tremendous help. Great to have the support of other Heartland owners!

 

[David-and-Cheryl]

I'm happy to report that the repair was successful. As everyone said, the hardest part was getting the old valve out...as careful as I tried to be, it quickly snapped off right at the metal threads to the heater. A combination of a hacksaw, soldering iron, picks, and lots of patience (and just a little swearing) was required to get all the pieces out. I did try an irrigation nipple extractor, but the narrow end of the broken valve kept the extractor from going in far enough to get a grip.



By the way, I discovered that Valterra makes a 1/2" lead-free check valve with male threads on both ends, which eliminated the need for the close nipple. I thought this might be helpful for anyone faced with the same situation.

Thanks again everyone for the detailed instructions on how to do this repair.