Question on plumbing

[jsb]

I have a small, but signifcant, amount of water near my water heater and furnace. I can't really see where anything is leaking, is there something I should check before calling a plumber?

 

[kingcy]

Make sure your drain tube from your furnace isnt plugged. That or your water heater has sprung a leak.

 

[Ry4Cy]

you should check the under side of the water heater for rust and if it looks like it is starting to leak from your water heater get a new one sooner then later cuz i have seen them give out and its not pretty...i cant really think of anything else maybe the relief valve on the water heater sometimes those start to leak

 

[Ry4Cy]

Make sure your drain tube from your furnace isnt plugged. That or your water heater has sprung a leak.

i wouldnt think it is the drain on the furnace cuz it is freezing outside and you wouldnt be running the AC but i could be wrong

 

[kingcy]

i wouldnt think it is the drain on the furnace cuz it is freezing outside and you wouldnt be running the AC but i could be wrong

Some furnaces have condensation tubes.

 

[Ry4Cy]

Some furnaces have condensation tubes.

yeah but the evaporater only condensates when your are running the AC

 

[kingcy]

yeah but the evaporater only condensates when your are running the AC

yes I know. I dont know where it comes from but some furnaces drip a little water. Why I dont know but they do.

 

[jsb]

you should check the under side of the water heater for rust and if it looks like it is starting to leak from your water heater get a new one sooner then later cuz i have seen them give out and its not pretty...i cant really think of anything else maybe the relief valve on the water heater sometimes those start to leak

The water heater is pretty new, less than 5 years old, I think (I just bought the place last year).

When I moved in the owners mentioned that there was a small leak that they didn't notice until they were packing up. I never had anyone look at it because I never saw any water.

I did move a card table out of that corner of the basement and could have bumped something doing that.

Where exactly would I look for something leaking with the furnace?

 

[kingcy]

The water heater is pretty new, less than 5 years old, I think (I just bought the place last year).

When I moved in the owners mentioned that there was a small leak that they didn't notice until they were packing up. I never had anyone look at it because I never saw any water.

I did move a card table out of that corner of the basement and could have bumped something doing that.

Where exactly would I look for something leaking with the furnace?

The only place would be if there is a pipe attached to it going to a drain.

 

[Ry4Cy]

yes I know. I dont know where it comes from but some furnaces drip a little water. Why I dont know but they do.

They shouldnt if you dont have the air conditioning on...i do HVAC for a living

 

[Ry4Cy]

The water heater is pretty new, less than 5 years old, I think (I just bought the place last year).

When I moved in the owners mentioned that there was a small leak that they didn't notice until they were packing up. I never had anyone look at it because I never saw any water.

I did move a card table out of that corner of the basement and could have bumped something doing that.

Where exactly would I look for something leaking with the furnace?

I have seen water heaters go bad in 5 years some of the cheaper ones but i have also seen them go 10 15 years they can be unpredictible

 

[clones_jer]

sounds like water heater is failing to me - check the tag on it, Home Depot warranties for 5, 7 & 9 years depending on the model.

in my experience, it seems water heaters don't have the "extended life" you can push out of a lot of other appliances.

if its near a floor drain and your basement isn't finished you could wait it out ... otherwise I'd make sure its coming from the water heater, then budget for a new one.

 

[kingcy]

They shouldnt if you dont have the air conditioning on...i do HVAC for a living

Then why in my shop do I have to have a bucket under a drain pipe on a furnance only system, and have to dump it from time to time. Why when getting bids on a new furance do I have to have a drain for the heat and AC. Both guys that have bid it made a point to tell me I need a drain for heat as well as AC.

 

[jsb]

sounds like water heater is failing to me - check the tag on it, Home Depot warranties for 5, 7 & 9 years depending on the model.

in my experience, it seems water heaters don't have the "extended life" you can push out of a lot of other appliances.

if its near a floor drain and your basement isn't finished you could wait it out ... otherwise I'd make sure its coming from the water heater, then budget for a new one.

I am pretty sure the thing is still under warrenty. These people didn't spare much expense when putting stuff in.

It's in the unfinished part of the basement. I'll see what it looks like tomorrow and go from there.

 

[Ry4Cy]

sounds like water heater is failing to me - check the tag on it, Home Depot warranties for 5, 7 & 9 years depending on the model.

in my experience, it seems water heaters don't have the "extended life" you can push out of a lot of other appliances.

if its near a floor drain and your basement isn't finished you could wait it out ... otherwise I'd make sure its coming from the water heater, then budget for a new one.

or if you have kids..its not worth the risk cuz sometimes it will just dump all at once unexpected and if kids are standing by it it could burn them

 

[CyPride]

is your furnace a high efficiency model - with the exhaust and air intake going out the side of the house? One possibility is that you have a leak in the pvc exhaust piping, and it is dripping. you could also have a leak in the unit itself.

 

[jsb]

I feel like you should all come to my house and fix this.

So best guess, should I be calling the furnace people or the water heater people? Maybe they are the same people. I have no idea, but both are still under warrrenty.

 

[Ry4Cy]

Then why in my shop do I have to have a bucket under a drain pipe on a furnance only system, and have to dump it from time to time. Why when getting bids on a new furance do I have to have a drain for the heat and AC. Both guys that have bid it made a point to tell me I need a drain for heat as well as AC.

in the middle of winter when you are just running heat? i dont know man unless you have a dehumidifier or something there should be no condensate coming from your furnance if you are just running heat...just wondering who is giving you bids

 

[kingcy]

I feel like you should all come to my house and fix this.

So best guess, should I be calling the furnace people or the water heater people? Maybe they are the same people. I have no idea, but both are still under warrrenty.

Plumber. Some times they are the same people.

 

[Ry4Cy]

yep call a plumber