Home > Minyard Plumbing, Inc. Blog & News > A Water Heater Leak is Costly

Did you know that a water heater leak could be costing you quite a bit of money? Over the course of a year, one small water heater leak can waste thousands of gallons of water. Depending on the costs attributed to water in your area, this could be anywhere from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars. There are also hidden costs involved when a water heater leaks.

A Water Heater Leak is Costly

Water Heater Leak

  • Shortened life of water heater – Leaking water left unrepaired creates corrosion, which shortens the life of your water heater. Each year lost means it cost you more to have your water heater for the years you had it. For example, if your water heater cost $700 and was supposed to last 12 years, this amount annualized comes to $58; if it fails in just 6 years because it wasn’t repaired when it should have been, that annualized amount is now $117. You’ve lost $350 total because of that little leak.
  • Leaks worsen – It may only take a service call and one inexpensive part to take care of a small water heater leak, whereas letting it continue and become a bigger problem can cost much more to fix, and you may even have to replace the water heater entirely.
  • Secondary damage – That small water heater leak that you ignored ended up resulting in a total failure– now you have water damage to your home and/or your personal belongings. This can be extremely costly and could even be devastating if some of those belongings are not replaceable.
  • Huge water bill – You all know Murphy’s Law can strike at any time, and thus your water heater will most likely fail at the most inopportune time. Letting that water heater leak you knew about become the service call you now have to make on the day of that important meeting, or  after coming home from vacation to a flooded house and huge water bill is just the kind of thing Murphy likes to hit you with.

Life comes with challenges, and many cannot be avoided. Big problems born from small water heater leaks are not one of those and can be easily avoided by a timely call to your plumber.