Geyser Leaking Water: Causes and What to Do

Short answer: where the water is coming from decides everything. A leak at a pipe joint, the inlet or outlet, or the pressure relief valve is usually a cheap, quick repair. Water seeping from the body of the tank itself means the tank has corroded, and that cannot be safely repaired — the unit needs replacing.

Find the source before anything else

Switch the geyser off at the mains and turn off the inlet valve. Dry the outside of the unit and the pipework completely, then watch where water reappears first. It takes a few minutes and it is the difference between a washer and a new geyser.

Leaks that are straightforward to repair

Inlet or outlet connections

The most common leak of all. Usually a worn washer, a loose nut, or thread tape that has degraded. Quick and inexpensive.

The pressure relief valve

This valve is supposed to release water when pressure builds — so an occasional drip during heating is normal behaviour, not a fault. Continuous discharge is not. That means either the valve itself has failed, or the thermostat is letting the water overheat. The valve is a safety device: never plug it or cap it off.

The heating element seal

Where the element enters the tank there is a gasket. It can perish with age, and the leak appears near the element flange or the electrical cover. This is repairable — but water and electrical connections in the same place is a reason to stop using the unit until it is fixed.

The drain valve

Often left slightly open after a service, or the washer has perished. Trivial to fix.

The leak that means replacement

If water is weeping from the body of the tank — not a fitting, not the valve, but the shell itself — the tank has corroded from the inside out.

There is no safe repair. Welding or sealing a pressurised hot water tank is not something to attempt, and a patched tank fails again, usually worse. Any technician who offers to seal a corroded tank is doing you no favours.

The usual reason a tank corrodes early is a spent anode rod. That rod is a sacrificial part: it corrodes so the tank does not. It is meant to be inspected and replaced periodically, and on most units it never is. That is why a geyser serviced annually often outlives an identical one that was left alone.

Why hard water shortens tank life in Kolkata

Scale and sediment collect at the bottom of the tank. Beyond reducing capacity and slowing heating, that layer traps heat against the tank floor and accelerates corrosion from the inside. Descaling is not only about performance — it is about how long the tank lasts.

Treat these as urgent

Switch off at the mains and stop using the geyser if:

• Water is reaching the electrical connections or the terminal cover
• The MCB trips, or you feel any tingle from a tap
• Water is coming from the tank body rather than a fitting
• The relief valve is discharging continuously or the water is scalding

Water and mains electricity in a wet room is not a combination to live with for a few weeks.

What it typically costs

We do not publish fixed prices, because the honest answer depends on the source. A washer or a valve is at the cheap end. An element with a perished gasket is mid-range. A corroded tank is a replacement, not a repair. What you should expect from any technician is a diagnosis first, then a quote, and the old part handed to you afterwards.

Prevention

An annual service catches most of this before it becomes a leak: descaling, checking the anode rod, testing the pressure relief valve, and inspecting the connections and gaskets. October, before daily winter use begins, is the right time.

Get the leak diagnosed

Call +91 82740 66348 for doorstep geyser repair across Kolkata. If you can tell us where the water is appearing from, we will usually know before arriving whether it is a repair or a replacement.

Frequently asked questions