Family Handyman brought Travis Hargrave in as one of three plumbers for its Domestic Disasters column, where the magazine takes a reader’s home repair mess to the pros and asks how bad it really was. The piece, “My Water Heater Rusted Out & Flooded My Basement,” was written by Karuna Eberl and published September 29, 2026. The magazine introduces Travis as a plumber with more than 30 years of experience who runs Hargrave’s Plumbing in Louisiana.
What Happened
A homeowner in Minnesota drew a bath for his daughter, found the water wasn’t hot, and opened the utility closet to a puddle across most of the floor. His tank water heater was 21 years old and had rusted through.
He did the sensible thing first. He closed the supply valve on the heater, hooked a hose to the drain spigot, and left for the store. When he got home, water was still running out. The valve had never closed, so the only way to stop it was the main shutoff for the whole house. He put in the new heater the next morning, and he said the hardest part was hauling the old 120-pound tank up the stairs.
Why the Valve Didn’t Close
Family Handyman asked Travis about that valve. A supply valve that won’t seal usually comes down to rotted gaskets or buildup in the line, the article explains, and Travis said a heater that old is exactly where you see it. “It’s actually pretty common on water heaters that are older than ten years,” he told the magazine.
The valve right beside the water heater is the one you reach for in an emergency, and it is often the one nobody has turned in years. If it fails, your next move is the main shutoff. You want to know where that is before the floor is wet, not while you are standing in it.
The Step Every Pro Flagged
Every plumber Family Handyman talked to, Travis included, pointed to one step the homeowner skipped: turn off the gas or the electricity to the water heater before you touch anything else. A heater that keeps firing with the tank draining is a fire and shock hazard, and the article notes that in extreme cases a tank that is empty but still heating can explode.
Travis’s Tips for the Replacement
The article walks through the repair step by step, and two of those steps come from Travis.
- The new valve: cut out the old one and install a new one. Leave it closed for now, and do not over-tighten it.
- Filling the new tank: use the pop-off relief valve to let the air out while the tank fills. “When water flows through, the tank is full and you can turn it back off,” Travis said.
Even the homeowner in the story needed a second person to get the old tank out. On a gas heater you are also reconnecting a gas line and checking it for leaks, and that is usually the point where people are glad to have a licensed plumber do the job. Our team handles water heater replacement and tankless water heaters, and gas leak detection if something doesn’t smell right.
What It Means for a Water Heater in Acadiana
Most homes around here have no basement to flood. The water heater usually sits in a garage, a closet, or the attic, and a slow leak in a closet or an attic soaks into walls, ceilings, and subfloor long before anyone sees a puddle. The article’s prevention list is worth keeping:
- Open and close the supply valve on the water heater every six months so buildup can’t lock it in place.
- Know where your main water shutoff is and check it once a year. If it is an old gate valve, think about swapping it for a ball valve.
- Replace the anode rod every three to five years.
- Plan to replace a tank water heater somewhere between 10 and 15 years, before it fails instead of after.
- Set a drain pan under any heater that doesn’t sit near a floor drain.
- Look at a smart leak detector that shuts the water off on its own. Kolby Barnes of Service Force Plumbing recommended one in the article.
Not sure how old yours is? Our guide to how long water heaters last in Louisiana covers the age question. If yours is already dripping, start with what to do when a water heater is leaking, and if it pops and rumbles, read why a water heater makes noise.
Thanks to Family Handyman
Thanks to Karuna Eberl and the Family Handyman team for including Travis. The full article is at Family Handyman.
Water Heater Leaking or Past Ten Years? Call Hargrave’s
If your water heater is leaking, past its tenth birthday, or the valve beside it hasn’t been turned in years, we can take a look. Our team works across Acadiana, and for a leak that can’t wait, we take emergency calls too. Get in touch and we will send someone out.
