Bradford White 9 flashes: tank leak detected

Some Bradford White gas heaters can be paired with a leak detection accessory. When its sensor detects water, it tells the gas control, which flashes nine times.

The meaning below comes from Bradford White's service manual for its ICON gas controls. Bradford White changed its flash codes in January 2019: serial numbers with a date code before TA use ICON 1.0 codes, and TA or later use ICON 2.0. Our guide on how old is my Bradford White water heater shows how to read the date code.

What to do right away

1. Look around the base of the heater for water.
2. If there is a leak, turn the gas control knob to OFF and close the cold water supply valve to the heater.
3. Protect nearby belongings and start drying the area.

Where the water comes from

• Temperature and pressure relief valve. A dripping or discharging valve can point to high pressure or a failing valve. Our guide to water heater expansion tank installation cost explains one common fix for pressure problems.
• Water fittings at the top of the tank, the drain valve and supply connectors.
• The tank itself. Bradford White's last step is pressurizing and leak testing the tank.

Before you call

Note the exact flash pattern, count it twice, and have the model and serial number from the rating label ready. Tell the technician when the light started flashing, whether the pilot is lit, and whether anything was stored or spilled near the heater recently. The serial number also tells you the heater's age, which matters when deciding between a repair and a replacement.

See every code on our Bradford White status light codes page.