Water heater failures — fast leaks vs slow leaks
Water heater failures fall into two categories that produce different damage profiles. Fast failures — tank rupture, pressure-relief valve failure, broken supply line connections — release significant water in minutes. Damage is dramatic but obvious. Slow failures — corroded tank seams, anode rod failure producing slow seepage, slab leaks from connected piping — produce damage over weeks or months that's often only discovered when secondary symptoms appear (mold, warped flooring, soft drywall).
Most water heaters live in mechanical rooms, garages, or closets — but the water from a failure travels well beyond. Mechanical-room floods soak adjacent rooms through subflooring. Garage water heater failures damage drywall in adjacent living spaces. Slab leaks from connected piping can soak hardwood flooring across multiple rooms before discovery.
Vancouver and Portland metro homes typically have 40–50 gallon tank water heaters with 8–12 year lifespans. Many homes still have original water heaters from when the home was built, which means a substantial population of water heaters at or beyond their service life. Tankless heaters fail differently — often at supply-line connections in unheated mechanical rooms during cold weather.
