Attic water heaters and two-story homes
Builders of two-story houses here often tucked the water heater up in the attic or an upstairs closet. When a tank up there fails, gravity sends the water straight through the ceiling below.
A properly installed attic heater rests in a catch pan with its own line running outdoors or to a drain. Those pans and lines age too. A cracked pan or a clogged pan drain is how a slow drip becomes a stained ceiling.
If your heater lives upstairs and is past about ten years old, it is worth pricing a planned replacement before it fails. Water heater replacement covers attic installs, drain pans and the permit side.
Highland Village in short: homes, water, response
A lakeside city of established neighborhoods south of Denton.
Water supply
The city's system buys treated surface water, per the EPA database.
Expect gradual scale in heaters and on fixtures.
Housing
Much of the city was built out from the 1980s into the early 2000s.
Many homes are two-story, often with an attic or upstairs water heater.
Dispatch
Emergency dispatch is available around the clock for Highland Village.
The route from Denton runs down I-35E and across FM 407, so give the dispatcher your nearest cross street.
Before We Arrive: If You Have A Burst Pipe Or Active Leak in Highland Village
Two-story homes change the order of priorities. Start here.
Close the main
The house valve is usually in the garage, often near the water heater closet. If it will not turn, the meter box near the street is the backup.
Cut power to wet areas
Water from an upstairs leak can reach ceiling lights and fans below. Switch those circuits off at the breaker before going near them.
Clear the immediate area
Move furniture out from under any wet ceiling and set out buckets. Stay out from under a ceiling that is sagging.
Call our 24/7 line
Tell the dispatcher you are in Highland Village, 75077, which floor the leak is on, and whether the water heater is in the attic.
What Highland Village homes tend to need
Much of Highland Village was built out from the 1980s through the early 2000s. Homes of that age share a predictable set of plumbing issues.
| Part of the house | Common issue at this age | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| Water heater, often in the attic or garage. | Second or third tank, sediment, leaking pans. | Check the label date and the drain pan line. |
| Supply lines under the slab. | Pinhole leaks in aging copper. | A meter test, then leak detection. |
| Original faucets and valves. | Worn cartridges and seized shutoff valves. | Replace shutoffs with quarter-turn valves. |
| Irrigation and backflow. | Sprinkler leaks and yearly test notices. | Walk each zone after the backflow test. |
If a meter keeps moving with everything off, pinpointing the hidden leak comes before any floor gets opened.
What to do when an attic water heater leaks
These steps limit ceiling damage while help is on the way.
- Close the cold water valve on top of the heater, if you can reach it safely.
- Switch off the heater's breaker, or set a gas unit's control to pilot.
- Put buckets and towels under any ceiling spots that are dripping or bulging.
- Do not stand under a sagging ceiling. Poke a small hole at its lowest point to let water drain into a bucket, only if it is safe to do so.
- Call the 24/7 line and mention the heater is in the attic, so the plumber brings the right equipment.
The International Plumbing Code (IPC), the model code North Texas cities adopt, calls for a drain pan wherever a leaking heater would damage the building, which covers nearly every attic install.
Water supply and getting here from Denton
The City of Highland Village water system is listed by the EPA drinking water database as purchased surface water, serving roughly 16,500 people. Like other lake-sourced supplies in Denton County, it leaves mineral scale in heaters and on fixtures over time, so test your own tap before choosing a softener.
From Denton the route runs south on I-35E and west on FM 407, past the DCTA A-train's Highland Village/Lewisville Lake station. Homes near The Shops at Highland Village and the lakeside streets around Doubletree Ranch Park are all part of the same dispatch area.
Copper Canyon and Double Oak share much of the 75077 ZIP with Highland Village and are covered on the same line. For scale on lake water, softener sizing from a tap test is the place to start.
Within about ten miles, the same line also serves Argyle and Lantana in 76226 and Corinth in 76210, where homes of similar age share these water heater and slab issues.
Highland Village plumbing questions
Yes. Calls from Highland Village are answered around the clock, nights and holidays included, with an arrival window based on the hour and open emergencies.
Yes. Nearly all of Highland Village is in ZIP 75077, from the FM 407 corridor up to the streets along the south shore of Lewisville Lake.
Not if it is in good shape, sits in a working drain pan and gets a yearly check. An older attic tank is worth replacing on your schedule rather than after a leak, because the damage lands on the ceiling below.
Yes. Both share much of the 75077 ZIP with Highland Village, and calls from them use the same 24/7 line.
Yes. Aging copper under the slab is a common source of hidden leaks in homes of this age. The slab leak repair page covers spot repairs and reroutes.