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Leaking Water Heater Help (781) 780-3184

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Water heater leaking in Salem? Call before it gets worse.

One call reaches a licensed local plumber who replaces water heaters in Salem, usually the same day. Know what a fair price looks like before anyone arrives. Based near Lynn.

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(781) 780-3184

24 hours, 7 days

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The oldest housing on this site

The median home in Salem was built in 1938. Only three in ten housing units are single-family houses. Thirty-eight percent are in two- to four-family houses, the highest share of any town here, and another third are in larger buildings.

In buildings that old and that full, a water heater is often in a shared basement or a closet above another apartment. Find out before the plumber arrives which unit the heater serves and where its shutoff is. Heaters above someone else. A quarter of Salem homes heat with electricity.

The water

Salem shares a water system with Beverly. It draws from the Ipswich River and from Wenham Lake and two other reservoirs. The water board puts hardness at about 54 to 81 milligrams per liter, which runs from soft to moderately hard. A yearly flush is enough. How to do it.

Gas and rebates

National Grid supplies both gas and electricity. For a gas smell, leave and call 911, then National Grid at 800-233-5325. Mass Save's 2026 rebate on a heat pump water heater is $750.

Updated October 2026

Main sources

Common situations

Leaking water heaterShut the water and the heat, find the source, and know which leaks mean a new tank.Stopping water damageStop it, stay clear of wet wiring, dry it inside two days, and keep the record your insurer asks for.Upper floors and condosWho to tell first, the pan the code requires, and how condos divide the bill.No hot waterThe checks you can make yourself on a gas or electric heater, and when to stop.Replacement costDated Massachusetts price ranges, what pushes a quote up, and what the quote must state.Landlords and tenantsThe hot water temperatures the code requires, who pays for the fuel, and the deadlines.Preventing a leakThe anode, the flush, the relief valve and the pressure, and where each town's water comes from.

What you can call about

  • Leaking or burst tank, same-day replacement
  • No hot water, pilot and igniter problems
  • Tank and tankless (gas, electric, oil-fired)
  • Expansion tank and pressure valve
  • Old unit hauled away
  • Upper-floor, closet and attic units in condos, multi-families and apartments

Hours

Every day
24 hours, 7 days

Location

Other towns on the North Shore

BeverlyDanversGloucesterLynnLynnfieldMarbleheadPeabodySaugusSwampscott

Other areas:South ShoreMetroWestWorcester area

Questions

Is this a plumbing company?

No. This is an independent referral site for Salem. Calls go to a local licensed plumber. Ask for the license number on the call.

What should I do right now?

Turn off the cold water supply valve on top of the heater, then shut off the gas valve or the breaker. Put towels down and move anything valuable off the floor. Then call.

I'm a tenant. Whose problem is this?

The landlord's. Massachusetts requires landlords to supply hot water and to fix a failed heater promptly. Shut the valve, photograph the leak, and notify the landlord in writing today. If you need the number for a plumber because the landlord asked you to arrange it, that is what this line is for.

It's a condo. Who pays?

Usually the unit owner for the heater itself and any damage inside the unit; damage to units below or common areas goes through the association's master policy and your HO-6. Document everything before the plumber removes the old tank.

Do you charge for the call?

No. You pay the plumber directly for any work you agree to.

Call now: (781) 780-3184