Gas Water Heater Flooded

Any electrical or gas valve that has been under water is no longer reliable. Replace everything that has been submerged. This may be the burner parts, or the entire combination thermostat/gas valve. Even if the insurance company does not cover the reason for the flooding, the damage caused by the flooding may be covered. Check with your insurance company. A broken pipe might not be covered, but the water damage is. OR the beam that fell and broke the pipe may not be covered, but the broken pipe and water damage may be covered. It all depends on the coverage and how you tell and the insurance adjuster hears the reason for the failure. Norman wear and tear is not covered, but cutting the pipe while doing household repairs might be covered.

BUT do not use that water heater until it is checked/repaired by a pro.

FEMA requires it to be replaced. Age is not a factor.

Hi @Jimbo_5 , No doubt a tech could go over it and install it in his or her own home and not worry much. That said, a good tech could never be comfortable doing that for/to a client. Even if the chances are very slim, should that heater ever fail in an unsafe manner, the dollars saved would be meaningless. If you cleaned it up and got it running but later it managed to hurt your daughter, it would haunt you. There are places to be "overly" cautious, and this is one.

As an aside, I've see the high limits on tank-type heaters bypassed. There are people out there who will do the quick and dirty fix, but they are not the ones who think about protecting our health. Maybe insurance can help take care of this so the cost isn't too much of a burden.

Yours, Larry