First 60 Seconds: Stay Safe
When you spot water leaking from any heating or hot-water appliance, your first job is safety, not cleanup. Water and the electricity or gas that powers these units do not mix.
If you smell gas (a rotten-egg odour), hear hissing near a gas line, or feel dizzy or nauseous, treat it as a gas or carbon-monoxide emergency: get everyone out of the home immediately, do not flip any switches, and once you are outside call FortisBC at 1-800-663-9911 or 911. Only after you are safe should you call us at 604-359-1081.
If there is no gas smell, the situation is almost always a water-handling problem rather than a life-safety one. Take a breath. A controlled response prevents a small leak from becoming thousands of dollars of damage.
Shut Off Power and Water to the Appliance
Cutting the energy source stops the leak from getting worse and removes the shock hazard.
Electricity: Switch off the breaker that feeds the appliance at your main panel, or flip the dedicated service switch many BC furnaces and boilers have nearby (it often looks like a light switch in a metal box). If the floor is already wet and you would have to stand in water to reach the panel, do not — call an electrician or us instead.
Water: For a boiler or hydronic system, close the water-feed valve on the cold-fill line. For a tank water heater, turn the cold-water inlet valve (usually on top, turning clockwise) to the off position. If you cannot find the local shut-off, use the home's main water shut-off, typically near where the water line enters the house or by the front foundation wall.
Gas: If the appliance is gas-fired and you are comfortable doing so, turn the gas shut-off valve on the supply line a quarter turn so the handle sits across the pipe. When in doubt, leave the gas alone and call a professional.
Contain the Water and Protect Your Home
Once the source is isolated, limit the damage. Place towels, a shallow tray, or a bucket under the active drip. Move boxes, electronics, and anything porous off the floor and away from the wet zone.
In many Lower Mainland homes the mechanical room sits on a finished basement floor or near drywall, so water wicks fast. Lift the bottom edge of cardboard and fabric, and pull area rugs back. If water is spreading toward a floor drain, gently sweep it that way.
Take a few photos or a short video before you mop up. If you later file an insurance claim, that visual record of the source and the spread is genuinely useful.
Figure Out Where It Is Coming From
Knowing the source helps us arrive with the right parts and helps you describe the problem on the phone.
Water dripping from a pressure-relief valve or expansion tank usually points to a pressure or temperature issue. A puddle directly beneath a storage tank water heater often signals internal tank corrosion — that tank typically needs replacement, not repair. Drips from copper or PEX fittings point to a loose or failed connection. A steady trickle near a high-efficiency furnace or condensing boiler is frequently a clogged condensate line or cracked trap, which is messy but usually inexpensive.
You do not need a firm diagnosis. Just note where the water appears, whether it is dripping or pooling, and roughly how fast.
When to Call GasBoilers.ca
Call us at 604-359-1081 any time water is actively leaking from a boiler, furnace, heat pump, or water heater and you cannot stop it, or when you have stopped it but need the unit repaired before you restore heat or hot water. Our parent company, CanroHeat, services all of these appliances across Greater Vancouver.
Before we arrive, keep the power and water to the unit off. Do not restart a leaking appliance just to test it — running a unit that is losing water can damage the heat exchanger or pump and turn a moderate repair into a replacement.
Give us a quick description of the appliance, the leak, and what you have already shut off, and we will guide you on next steps and dispatch help.