Where the water comes from tells you most of what you need to know. Leaks at the fittings up top are often repairable. A tank leaking from underneath usually means replacement. Either way, shut off the water and the heat first.
Often a loose or corroded fitting on the hot or cold pipe, or the relief valve. These are usually repairable.
The pipe running down the side carries water from the temperature and pressure relief valve. A drip from it can mean the valve is worn or the pressure or temperature is too high. Don't cap or plug it. Call a plumber.
A drip from the valve near the bottom is often just the valve, which a plumber can replace.
Water pooling from under the tank, with no fitting leaking, usually means the tank has corroded through. Tanks can't be patched; plan on a replacement.
Tank water heaters commonly last about 8 to 12 years. If yours is in that range and the tank is leaking, replacement is the usual answer. That's a plumber's job, not a water damage company's.
The heater sits in living space, a closet or attic and water reached drywall, flooring, carpet or a ceiling below, or it ran for hours before you found it.
Water stayed in the garage or utility area but touched the base of the walls or stored items. Dry hard for two days and watch for a musty smell.
A heater on bare concrete, caught quickly and dried within a day or two. Replace or repair the heater and you likely don't need anything else.
A sudden tank failure is commonly treated as covered water damage, while the heater itself usually isn't covered, and a slow leak left for months is often treated as maintenance. The heater's age and dated photos help either way. Call your insurer early; they decide.
Not sure what you're looking at? Ask the advisor and send a photo of the heater and its label.
A drain pan piped to a drain under any heater in living space, a leak sensor on the floor beside it, and a reminder to price a replacement around the heater's tenth year cover most of the risk.
Sometimes it's the drain valve, which can be replaced. If water is coming from the tank itself, the tank has usually corroded through and the heater needs replacing. A plumber can tell which in a few minutes.
The water can be scalding, gas heaters need the gas turned off if you smell gas, and electric heaters should have the breaker switched off. A dripping relief valve should be checked by a plumber, and its pipe should never be capped.
Often not. If the water stayed on concrete in a garage or utility area and dried within a day or two, a plumber is usually enough. Call a water damage company if water reached drywall, flooring, carpet or a ceiling below, or ran for hours.
Talk to an independent water damage specialist. No obligation, and they can tell you if you need them at all.
(888) 845-1163