Shut the valve on the cold line into the top of the tank, kill the gas or the breaker, and call us. On electric the elements burn up if they’re energized in an empty tank. Water coming from under the tank means it rusted through from the inside, and nobody repairs that.

On gas it’s almost always the pilot, the thermocouple, or the gas control valve, and relight instructions are printed on the tank. On electric it’s a tripped breaker, a bad upper thermostat, or a burned out element. If you smell gas, leave first, then call ONG at 800-458-4251.

Age decides this more than the symptom does. Early on, thermocouples, gas valves, elements and thermostats are normal wear parts worth fixing. Past 12 years we start recommending replacement, and a tank that’s leaking isn’t repairable at any price by anybody.

Water heaters last 6 to 15 years, but past the decade mark you should be budgeting. Anything over 20 is, in our opinion, a bad situation waiting to happen. Gently pat it on the back and give us a call. Text a photo of the data plate to (918) 800-4426 and we’ll tell you how old it is.

That’s sediment, and Tulsa’s hard water makes plenty of it. Minerals crust across the bottom and water trapped underneath flashes to steam, so it sounds like gravel in there. Draining a few gallons off the boiler drain once a year keeps it down, but let us do the first one.

Run the cold tap for a minute first. If only the hot side is rusty, the problem is inside the heater, usually a spent anode rod, which means the tank is corroding now. If both sides are discolored, it’s your supply lines, and plenty of older Tulsa homes are still on galvanized.

That’s the temperature and pressure relief line, and the valve is doing its job. It opens past about 150 psi or 210 degrees and dumps at the floor instead of onto you. A steady drip means high pressure, a waterlogged expansion tank, or a thermostat set too hot. Never cap that pipe.

A pressure reducing valve or check valve on your main makes a closed system, and heated water has nowhere to expand. Without an expansion tank you get a dripping T and P valve and banging pipes. The bladder gives up around 5 to 10 years, so we check it on every water heater visit.

For a standard tank, 40 gallons for one or two people, 50 for a family of four, 65 to 80 if two teenagers both shower at seven. Check the first hour rating on the plate too, since gas out-recovers electric. If a newer heater runs out early, that’s usually a failed element, not an undersized tank.

In a replacement you stay with what you have, because converting means new gas piping and venting, or a heavy new circuit. When gas piping is part of the job, we run it ourselves under license #180753 and never sub it out. Gas recovers faster, electric costs less to install, and an attic install complicates both.

Maybe. Tankless gives you endless hot water and your floor space back, but install costs more and a gas unit usually needs a bigger gas line and a different vent. With Tulsa’s hard water, descaling is maintenance you have to keep up with, and we do it in house.

Usually yes, and we pull it under our Oklahoma plumbing license, #180753. We’re registered in Tulsa County, Rogers County and every metro city. The permit means somebody other than the installer checks the gas connection, the venting and the T and P discharge. If a bidder says it isn’t necessary, get a second opinion.

Because the plastic boiler drain is the worst fitting a manufacturer makes, and you can’t swap it for brass later without voiding the warranty on the whole heater. So that call gets made at the supply house. We install Rheem, A.O. Smith or Bradford White in a quality model, and every one we set gets a brass boiler drain.

We don’t install heaters we didn’t supply. Your warranty is only as good as the person who warranties it, and if a heater we installed fails, you call us, not an 800 number. We keep your model, serial and install date on the job, deal with the manufacturer for you, and haul the unit back ourselves. Our labor is covered for a year. If you’ve already bought one, the estimate will say in writing that we don’t warranty it.