Water heater overflows are some of the most dangerous sources of indoor flooding. Heaters and boilers are usually located in basements and other areas that people don’t visit too much. If a water heater leaks or bursts, the basement flood can go unnoticed until it spills into surrounding areas in a household or a workplace.

If you’re experiencing indoor flooding in your residential or commercial space, don’t hesitate to call Kennedy Restoration Services in Boston for immediate assistance. We have the manpower, the expertise and the equipment necessary for this kind of emergency. Our services are backed with decades of combined experience, so you can be sure that we have what it takes to stop the flooding, extract the water and bring your place back to its superior pre-disaster form. Contact us today!

Causes of Water Heater Overflow

Water heaters usually overflow due to one of two reasons: a thermostat malfunction or a rusted-out fitting. The two create different flood scenarios but they can be equally damaging to your property and threatening to your safety.

A thermostat is the device that regulates the heat in a particular space. In this case, it’s the storage tank of your heater. When the thermostat malfunctions, it won’t be able to tell if the water temperature is just right and it needs to stop heating it. If heating continues indefinitely, the water in the tank expands and turns into steam. As it expands, pressure builds up until the tank gives out. In the end, the tank bursts, spewing out large volumes of hot water into surrounding areas.

While not as violent as a thermostat-related overflow, a rusted fitting can produce the same outcome. A rusted fitting in the heater’s tank can break away and produce a small leak. Water can flow out unnoticed for weeks, flooding your basement before you even know what hit you. This type of flooding usually can’t be detected unless someone goes to where the heater is and actually discovers the issue.

In both cases, the leak causes the tank to never full up. That means water will continuously come in through the supply line and leak out through the tank indefinitely. Anytime you’ve got a serious basement flood, you run the risk of short-circuiting electrical wiring, starting a fire or having the water invade other sections of the building.

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