Just woke up in the middle of the night because I heard an unusual
noise. I followed the sound of running water to the basement utility
room where our 12 year old Rheem gas water heater and furnace/air
conditioner are located. First I noticed a puddle of water on the
floor beneath the water heater. Not a good sign. Fortunately, the
concrete floor slopes properly to a nearby drain, so there's no other
damage. Seeking the source of the water, I saw a steady drip of water
from the vent pipe above the gas water heater, falling onto the top of
the water heater, running down its sides, and onto the floor. That
vent pipe slopes approximately 45 degrees up and away from the water
heater for a few feet to a wye junction where it joins the vent from
the gas furnace/air conditioner, then continues vertically through the
first floor and attic before exiting through the roof.

The water dripping from the vent made me think the problem was related
to condensation, but why did I hear water running continuously to the
water heater? Since the water running down the side of the water
heater was flowing over the area of the pilot cover, I immediately
shut off the main gas valve on the front of the water heater. As an
added precaution, I closed a valve in the gas line supplying the
wwater heater. Next, I tried to shut a very stiff valve on the cold
water supply line to the water heater, but the sound of running water
continued. Finally, I shut off the main water valve to the entire
house, and the sound of running water ceased.

In a few short hours, my wife will awaken and unhappily discover
there's no running water. Although I can turn the water back on
temporarily, there'll be no hot showers until I figure out what's
going on and fix it. Naturally, it's Sunday, so calling a plumber will
involve extra expense, and I'm probably capable of fixing it if I knew
what was wrong. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

Jim
Lincoln, Nebraska

Jim Z wrote:

Just woke up in the middle of the night because I heard an unusual
noise. I followed the sound of running water to the basement utility
room where our 12 year old Rheem gas water heater and furnace/air
conditioner are located. First I noticed a puddle of water on the
floor beneath the water heater. Not a good sign. Fortunately, the
concrete floor slopes properly to a nearby drain, so there's no other
damage. Seeking the source of the water, I saw a steady drip of water
from the vent pipe above the gas water heater, falling onto the top of
the water heater, running down its sides, and onto the floor. That
vent pipe slopes approximately 45 degrees up and away from the water
heater for a few feet to a wye junction where it joins the vent from
the gas furnace/air conditioner, then continues vertically through the
first floor and attic before exiting through the roof.

The water dripping from the vent made me think the problem was related
to condensation, but why did I hear water running continuously to the
water heater? Since the water running down the side of the water
heater was flowing over the area of the pilot cover, I immediately
shut off the main gas valve on the front of the water heater. As an
added precaution, I closed a valve in the gas line supplying the
wwater heater. Next, I tried to shut a very stiff valve on the cold
water supply line to the water heater, but the sound of running water
continued. Finally, I shut off the main water valve to the entire
house, and the sound of running water ceased.

In a few short hours, my wife will awaken and unhappily discover
there's no running water. Although I can turn the water back on
temporarily, there'll be no hot showers until I figure out what's
going on and fix it. Naturally, it's Sunday, so calling a plumber will
involve extra expense, and I'm probably capable of fixing it if I knew
what was wrong. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

Jim
Lincoln, Nebraska

The "vent" is the flue pipe to the chimney. Inside the heater,
the flue is a ~4" diam steel tube which runs coaxially down to
the "firebox". So, the tube has hot flue gas on its inside and
water pressure on its "outside".

Your heater has failed by having that central flue perforate.
Full water pressure is pushing thru a pinhole(s) and sending
a fine stream of water up the flue.

You'll have to be able to shut off the valve feeding the heater
in oder to have *any* water in the house. Try loosening the
packing nut on the valve; often the stem gets so corroded making
the handle hard to turn.

Jim