Austin, TX water heater leak repair for houses, condos and rentals, from the streets around the University of Texas at Austin to the homes south of Lady Bird Lake. We find the valve, fitting or tank that is leaking, fix it, and replace the heater when the tank has failed. Calls answered 24/7.
Our crew does hot-water heater leak repair in Austin, TX homes, condos and rentals throughout Travis County. We trace the water to its source before anything gets replaced. A dripping valve or a corroded joint is a repair, while a rusted-out tank needs a new heater, and that split decides most of the cost.
Heaters in attics above living space
The NOAA station at Camp Mabry averages 28.7 days a year at or above 100 F, and attic work in that heat goes slowly. A leak from an attic heater fills the drain pan first and then shows up as a ceiling stain, so we check the pan and its drain line on every attic call.
Exposed supply lines feeding the heater
Camp Mabry also logs 11.9 nights a year when the low drops to 32 F or colder. Exposed lines to a garage or attic heater can split on those nights and often stay dry until the ice melts, which is why a freeze leak can show up the next afternoon.
The relief valve and the expansion tank
Austin Water's 2025 report puts average hardness at about 5.4 grains per gallon, so we don't assume sediment is behind a leak here. A dripping relief valve usually traces to high house pressure or a failed expansion tank, and we gauge both before we replace the valve.
Supply valve, nipples and connectors on top
Census Bureau figures put the typical Austin home's build year at 1994, so many have already had their first heater swapped out. The supply valve and connectors left from an earlier install are often older than the tank, and we check them first when a fairly new heater leaks from the top.
These are the Austin leak situations we handle, sorted by where the heater is installed. Each is part of our leak repair across Texas, and our guide explains why tanks leak in more depth.
We find which part is dripping into the pan, clear the pan's drain line so it empties again, and repair the leaking joint or valve. If the tank itself is seeping, we carry the failed heater out and set the replacement in the same spot.
A relief pipe that drips on an outside wall means the valve has been opening. We read the house pressure, look at the thermostat setting and check that the expansion tank still holds its air charge. The valve gets replaced only when it is the part at fault.
Census figures show 209,772 of the 483,071 housing units in Austin, TX are detached houses, so more than half are something else. A closet heater leak in a condo can reach the unit next door, so we help you shut the supply, find the source and work with the owner or manager on the repair.
Once the steel has rusted through, the tank cannot be sealed again. We drain and disconnect the old heater, then install a gas or electric replacement to the city's adopted plumbing code.
Replacing a leaking heater in Austin, TX falls under state plumbing law and the city's own version of the plumbing code.
The Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners points consumers to the local plumbing inspection department to learn if a permit and inspection apply. In Austin, TX that is the City of Austin Development Services Department.
State law has the plumbing board adopt both the Uniform and the International Plumbing Codes, and cities may change them for local conditions. Austin works from the Uniform Plumbing Code, and plumbing installed under it gets checked by a plumbing inspector.
In its 2023 plumbing code amendments, City of Austin staff did not support adding Appendix L, which would require softened or treated water to a heater wherever hardness reaches 10 grains per gallon. That leaves a softener as your choice when a heater is replaced.
State law keeps water heater jobs inside plumbing licensing, even when an appliance dealer does them. A Master Plumber's number starts with M, and the board's online lookup confirms the license is current and a Certificate of Insurance is filed.
Tell us your city, whether the heater is gas, electric or tankless, and where the water is showing.
Call (512) 325-0362We cover all of Austin, TX and the rest of Greater Austin, plus the four cities below, each with a page of its own. There are more cities we cover listed by name as well.
Nearby cities with their own page
SAWS puts typical San Antonio hardness at 15 to 20 grains, about three times the Austin average, so sediment plays a bigger part in leaks there. Our page on leaking heaters around San Antonio covers it.
A replacement heater in Houston, TX needs a permit from a master plumber who is registered with the city. See our page on leaking water heaters in Houston.
Fort Worth Meacham Field averages 32.8 freezing nights a year, close to three times the count at Camp Mabry, so garage lines in Fort Worth, TX freeze far more often. Read about Fort Worth leak repair.
Census Bureau counts give Dallas, TX housing a typical build year of 1981, 13 years older than Austin's, so original valves and fittings are likelier there. Our page on leaking tanks around Dallas has the details.
Austin homeowners, renters and landlords ask these about leaking heaters, from summer drips to who pays.
Rarely on its own. The valve senses the water inside the tank, which a working thermostat keeps well below the valve's opening point. A drip in July usually means high house pressure, a failed expansion tank or a worn valve, and we test all three.
Far less for a worn valve or joint than for a new heater. Whatever broke sets the price, and a rusted-out tank means a full replacement. Our homepage lists typical leak repair costs from national surveys.
Usually the landlord. Under Texas Property Code section 92.052, once the tenant reports it and the rent is paid up, the landlord has to work diligently on fixing a heater that cannot deliver 120 F water.
Yes. We take leak calls from homes across Texas, so Travis County addresses outside the city limits are covered, along with the rest of Greater Austin.
Our phone is answered 24/7, including weekends and holidays. Say whether the leak is in the attic, the garage or a closet, and we will help you close the cold supply before anything else.
Call (512) 325-0362