Water Heaters - Newer Water Heater Top Leak

Hey all,

So I have a 50 gallon, natural gas, 5 yr old water heater. I have recently noticed water "pooling" (and after a few days of inaction, slowly trickling down the side of the tank) in the case hole on the top where the anode rod is located as well as around the base of the cold and hot water intake/outakes.

My original theory was a leak in the pipes leading to and from the hot/cold water intake/outake but I have isolated them and that doesnt appear to be the case. There has yet to be any leaks underneath the water heater itself (other than small, evaporated pools from the outer trickles i mentioned earlier) so I am starting to think it may be the anode tube or hot/cold water intakes or something.

Any ideas on how I can test this theory? Note that the both the hot and cold lines are hard-plumbed in (ie soldered) so attempting to access and check things like the dip tube (which I was told a clog along its lengths could possibly result in my problem...?) are sort of a last resort.

Any tips/ideas would be great, because the tank is fairly new and given the fact it is bone dry underneath it, I very much doubt the tank itself is leaking...

Thanks in advance,
Sean

I hate to burst your bubble but at five years old your water heater is definitely well into middle age. Gas water heaters have a "normal" life span of eight to ten years. That is not to say that any particular heater won't last fifteen years but the average is eight to ten years.

Still, unless you have abnormally aggressive water (are you on a well?) you probably have a few years left before that heater needs replacement.

One possibility is that it is condensed moisture from the combustion of the gas running down from the exhaust duct and pooling on the top. Is there any sign (rust) around the exhaust hood or duct?

Otherwise I think you are probably correct that it is a small leak form one of the tank tappings.

Im actually running softened (as in I have a full sized water softener) city water, so I guess thats partially why I think at 5 yrs old an actual corrosion leak seemed unlikely, though I am no plumber so I could be way off base with that assumption. And as for the condensation, I dont think that is it as there is no sign of moisture on the top, outer casing unless it has come from one of the lower points (anode/hot/cold "holes") overflowing.

Sorry to be late but I have some bad news for you. Soft (or softened) water is far more corrosive than hard water. The Seattle Water Department actually dumps chemicals into their water supply to make it harder because they have so much trouble from corrosion.

The hard water is scale forming and the soft water is corrosive. Scale has a tendency to seal minor leaks and actually protect metal from corrosion. Unfortunately scale will also clog pipes and especially shower heads. Hard water has trouble with making suds so it takes a great deal more detergent or soap to clean your clothe or your body.

Corrosion (from soft water) causes the metal to rust and be "eaten" away. It does allow for easy sudsing and cleaning.

You just can't win. <lol>