No hot water, a puddle by the heater, and a pilot light that will not stay lit — when these arrive together, they are usually the same problem. Here is what is going on and what to do about it, safely.
Why water kills pilots
The pilot assembly sits low in the combustion chamber — exactly where leaking water ends up. Water dripping onto the pilot snuffs the flame; worse, it corrodes the thermocouple, the pilot orifice, and the burner assembly. A thermocouple that got soaked may never hold a flame again, even after everything dries.
What to check first
Find where the water came from before touching the pilot. A leak from a fitting above that dripped into the burner area is a different situation than a tank leaking at the base. Dry things out, identify the leak source, and do not keep trying to relight a pilot that keeps dying — repeated attempts with a compromised assembly are how small problems get dangerous.
Relighting: when it is fine, when it is not
If the leak is fixed, everything is dry, and the pilot lights and stays lit with a steady blue flame — you are probably fine. If the pilot will not stay lit, burns yellow and lazy, or you smell gas at any point: stop, leave the area, and call your gas utility. Corroded gas components get replaced, not coaxed.
The leak still needs fixing
Here is the part people miss: the pilot is the symptom, the leak is the disease. Relighting without fixing the water source just sets up a repeat — and the next round of water on the gas controls does more damage. Fix the leak first, verify the gas assembly second, relight last. If your pilot died alongside a leak, call (833) 713-2101 and mention both — we will handle them in the right order.