Geyser leaking from the bottom: what it means and how urgent it is

Water on the floor under the geyser has three sources, and they range from ignore-it to switch-it-off-now.

From the pressure-relief valve

A small brass or plastic valve on the inlet pipe with a short spout. A few drops while heating is normal — water expands. A steady trickle means the valve is worn, or the pressure is too high. Annoying, not dangerous. Replace the valve.

From a pipe joint

The inlet or outlet connection, or the flexible hoses. Usually a washer or a loose nut. Also not urgent, but it wets the wall and the housing below, so fix it soon.

From the tank itself

Water appearing from the seam of the outer casing, from the bottom cover, or from the element gasket. This is the tank or the element seal failing. Switch the geyser off at the MCB. Water and a live element in the same housing is the situation the earth-leakage breaker exists for, and you do not want to test it.

How to tell

• Dry the area, run the geyser, watch. A drip from a spout on a pipe: valve.
• Wet nut or hose: joint.
• Water from under the casing with pipes dry: tank or element seal.

A tank that has started to leak at a seam does not stop. It is a replacement, and the sooner the geyser is off and drained, the less damage to the wall below.

What we do

Valve and joint leaks are quick. A weeping element gasket is a drain, a new gasket, a refill. A tank seam leak is an honest conversation about a new unit.