4 shut off water inlet to hot water heater.
Gas water heater leaking from top vent.
If you suspect that you have a leak from the top turn off the power to your water heater.
Fortunately and to your relief sometimes when your water heater is leaking from the top it may not be because of a malfunctioning or defective part.
Leaks from the top of the water heater are usually caused by one of the three connections at the top as shown in the diagram below.
Turn off the water supply to your water heater using a pipe cutting tool like this one for tight spaces cut the water pipe a couple inches below the lowest soldered.
Here are a few other possible causes.
6 open the pressure relief on the top vent and cycle several times.
Drain your tank just slightly so you don t get any overflow as you remove the parts your replacing along with pulling.
Most homes have a dedicated circuit breaker for an electric water heater and some were built with an easily accessible secondary shut off in the vicinity of the heater itself.
A drip from above can easily leak down on top of the water heater and even work its way down the insulation and make it look like the leak is coming from the tank itself.
5 open drain valve.
The first place to check is the plumbing pipes above the water heater.
Electric switch or turn the gas control valve to off 2 attach garden hose to the drain valve.
1 connection that generates hot water 2 connection that generates cold water 3 connection that releases pressure.
3 run garden hose to a safe place to dump hot water.
For a gas water heater turn the thermostat control to the off position.
Two places it may be leaking from include.
Rain water when rain water travels down the flue vent pipe of a gas water heater it can collect on the top of your tank.
Gas water heater leaking from the top where the vent pipe is attached.
Check the plumbing pipes above the water heater using a stepladder if necessary.