Steamer Leaking Water? Here’s A Few Tips To Fix It

There are now more inventions and home items that help make our day to day lives easier than ever before. That being said, these items are sometimes faulty or do sometimes have issues that need to be resolved. Steamers are a great invention that help you sanitize cloth, take wrinkles out of clothing, and help make items a bit more presentable as well. Steamers do have the potential to be faulty and knowing why your steamer is leaking can help you determine how best to go about fixing it.

How Does A Steamer Work?

In order to know what might be wrong with your steamer you should know a little bit about how they work. A steamer is made up of three basic sections or major parts. The first is the reservoir or the actual mechanical part of the steamer, then the hose, then the head or the attachments that work to push the steam out and into the air to help release wrinkles from clothing.

Steamers work by heating water in the basin or the reservoir to the point that it turns to steam. The steam then travels up the hose and out of the head to help steam whatever you are working on. Steamers work because they help to temporarily moisten and relax the individual fibers of the fabric that it is being used on so that they straighten out and so that the wrinkles essentially fall out of the clothing leaving you with a smooth and wrinkle free piece or clothing or fabric.

Steamers can also be used to sanitize things. Since a steamer heats water up to a very hot temperature, it can also be used to steam clothing that you may believe is harboring germs. It can be used to kill germs and to help sanitize fabrics that cannot be easily washed in the washing machine or that cannot be washed with a rag or a traditional disinfectant.

Steamers can also help to get rids of smells and to get rid of odors as well. The steam helps to release the odors and to freshen the clothes. You can also add things like vinegar to the steamer to help neutralize unpleasant odors that might be clinging to your fabric surfaces. Steamers are very versatile and can do a lot around the home, so when they go down or start leaking, it can be a major problem.

Why is My Steamer Leaking?

There are a few different reasons why your steamer may be leaking and knowing what they are might help make repairs or fixes a bit simpler to manage. A very common cause for leaky steamers that spit water when they are used, is simple user error. The hose of a steamer needs to be held up, it needs to be relatively taut, and it does need to be held well above the base and the mechanism of the steamer. If the hose is held slack or has any sort of bend in it, it can cause water to pool in the hose and be forced up the hose and out onto the fabric.

To fix this issue, you want to straighten the hose up and allow the water to drain back into the basin and then make sure the hose is held straight and that water is not allowed to pool. If this issue is not what you are dealing with, there are other problems that might be present.

Tank and Drain Plug Issues

Another possible problem is that the drain plug is properly installed and that the tank itself is not cracked or damaged in any way. A steamer works by creating pressure within the tank that then forces the steam up and out. If the tank has a crack the water is not going to be able to heat up enough, the tank is not going to build up enough pressure, and the water is going to pool and then be spit out onto your clothing or onto whatever you are steaming.

In keeping with the idea that you should be checking your tank, you also want to make sure the drain plug is in properly and closed well and that the tank cap is on and is tightened down. Again, you want to make sure that the tank is able to build up enough pressure to be able to force the steam up and out. If your tank is damaged, you might want to look into getting a replacement so that you can make sure your steamer is in perfect working order.

Build Up and Clogs

Another reason your steamer may be leaking is that there is a clog. Steamers use the water that you put in them. This means that if you are using water that is hard water or that is rich in minerals, it may leave behind residue after each use. When a steamer is used until the water runs out, the water is all evaporated leaving behind any potential solids that might be in the water.

You should clean your steamer tank each time that you use it and make sure that it is as dry as possible before you put your steamer away after each use. Putting a steamer away that has water residue in it can lead to mold and mildew that can also lead to damage and lead to a dirty or clogged steamer. A great rule of thumb is to clean your steamer after each use. This means take the time to remove any water that might be left, then use a 50% water and vinegar solution to help clean out the filters and hoses and remove any sediment that might be present.

This will help to make sure that the water has no deposits or no build up to try and get through so that it can create steam and flow freely from the tank to the steamer nozzle.

Nozzle Issues

Your steamer nozzle gets dirty just like the rest of the steamer. If your steamer is spitting water it may be the result of build up on the steamer nozzle that makes the water condense back into water droplets that are then spit out onto to your clothing.

You should be cleaning your nozzle often to make sure that if you are using hard water or if there is any build up in your water, that you are removing it after each use, to make sure that it is clean and not going to build up and cause clogs. Cracked or damaged nozzles can also cause problems. The nozzle needs to be clean and free of cracks to ensure that the steam is able to move freely through the nozzle and not be impeded by anything.

If you are dealing with a defective or dirty nozzle, you can replace it, or you can clean it. To clean a nozzle you should remove it from the steamer, and then you can soak it in a calcium lime and rust remover, or you can soak it in vinegar to help clean it and to remove any issues or clogs.

Hose Issues

The last issue you might be dealing with is problems with the hose. You can think of it this way, when you walk through fog it collects on your skin and on other surfaces to create water droplets that are much larger than the smaller fog droplets. When steam from a steamer comes in contact with things like clogs in your hose or cracks in the clogs, it will condense into larger drops that can then spit out onto clothes.

Cracks in the hose can also lead to loss of pressure, loss of heat and can cause the steam to revert back to water which can then be spit out onto your clothes and cause water spots and work far less effectively. Your hose is a cheaper part of a steamer so if it is damaged, you probably just want to go get a new hose and that will fix the problem. If you have a hose that appears to be in good shape, you might want to clean it thoroughly and allow it to hang to dry fully before you put it away.

A steamer is a great piece of machinery that can make your life so much easier. It can become damaged and can become faulty with repeated use. As long as you are taking care of your steamer and making sure that you are washing it regularly, it should last for years. These are just a few possible issues that might be causing your steamer to leak and knowing how to fix it can help extend the life of your steamer and make sure that all your fabrics are wrinkle free.

Meta Description: Is your steamer spitting water when you turn it on? Here are some possible problems and solutions that might help you out.