Hot water tank leak

Hi. I need some help understanding where the water is coming from. After two hours of trouble shooting and turning off water to the tank and even to the house, I can't figure out where the leak is coming from. The tank sits on a platform. The top of the platform is dry and no water around the base of the tank. When I turn the water valve to the tank back on, water leaks through the bottom of the platform. I've attached a photo to help understand my situation. By the way, that is a wood stake sitting next to the tank not a pipe of any kind. Any thoughts? Thanks so much in advance.

Lori. G morning.

I reread your post. if understand you correctly. the water is not coming from the heater itself but from the piping in the wall
or under the stand.

this is just a guess, i do not have a lot of info.

is this a possibilty. also....where is the pop off valve piped to ? that could also be it

look on top of heater, their are 3 pipes. 1 hot, 1 cold, the other is the pop off

where does it go to ? find the end

Hi Macgyver. Thanks for responding. The pipe goes outside. There was no water at the end of that pipe. Here is another pic showing the top.

if the water is not coming from the tank...my bet is a leak in the wall

you have a plumber friend ? or are you going to fix it your self ?


when you find it, let me know. i am guessing a nail from that base board

just a guess


time to cut sheet rock and look see

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''


what is behind that heater ? bedroom ? closet ?

It is an exterior wall on the side with the switch and exit of the pipe. The other wall is an interior wall. I am still trying to get a hold of a plumber. I'm not having any luck because it's a weekend. The tanks is 9 years old, so is it possible that a nail puncture would just now be showing up? Thanks.

I have seen nails puncture a pipe and not leak, but ovr time the nail rusts into
when it rusts the leak shows up.

kinda weird, but it happens


is the water on the floor hot or cold water ?

if it is hot water, close the valve on top of the heater, you will have cold water in the house but not hot

to flush, and brush teeth and such


ask the plumber to put a pan under that water heater

then the next time you have a problem, the carpet in the house wont get wet

by the way, you need a fan, on the carpet in the house. you must dry that pad under the carpet. or it will mold

you do not want to go there

It could be a leak under the slap. Pin hole leaks in copper is very common in my area.

johnjh2o said:

It could be a leak under the slap. Pin hole leaks in copper is very common in my area.

Click to expand...

yes sir, could be that and bubbling up thru the sleeve on the copper

only way to tell is look at it

Thank you both. Oh my gosh....mold! This house is in Arizona so I never thought the carpet and pad wouldn't dry. I will buy a fan. Still waiting to hear from a plumber. I will share all of these thoughts about the situation. Thanks again. I will also post again when this is all figured out.

get a wet vac, and get that water off that carpet

pull the carpert up in that area, aim the fan at the pad

OH geeze. I'm not even at the house. I won't be there for a few weeks. I'm trying to handle this while I'm out of town. It's never the same trying to explain to someone what you want done. On a positive note, I do have a plumber scheduled for tomorrow.

talk to your plumber in the morning, tell him your out of town, will he please pull the wet carpet up and wet vac the water
he will most likly charge you for it,. but whatever, tell the tenant, to put a fan blowing on the pad

also tell him[plumber] you need pictures of any water damage and of what he finds for insurance

have you called insurance yet

My son is at the house, but I will have the plumber check out the carpet. Calling my insurance first thing in the morning. Thanks again. I will post an update tomorrow night.

Well the mystery was solved and it wasn't good. Apparently there was a leak in the wall. A crimped fitting was leaking. The plumber mentioned, among other things, they did not use wisdom tubing (?). So the leak was fixed and I filed an insurance claim. There was a lot of water so I have a restoration company taking care of things. Thanks so much for your suggestions and advice.

That goes back to my belief of plastic pipe is junk

journeyman said:

That goes back to my belief of plastic pipe is junk

Click to expand...

i do not use plastic pipe, you never see me give advice to use it

i am a total 100% copper pipe snob inside and under homes

1. Determine whether your water heater is the source of the leak.
2. A leak from the temperature and pressure relief valve may be the issue. It is advisable to check the discharge tube for any moisture.
3. A leak from the drain valve.
4. Major leaks occur from the bottom of the tank. So double check the hot water tank.
Moderator note: No links in posts, please
Hope this will help you

Thanks for responding, but it was a leaking pipe in the wall.

journeyman said:

That goes back to my belief of plastic pipe is junk

Click to expand...

In that case, it wasn't the plastic pipe that failed, it was the junky cinch clamp that was used. A crimp ring would not have failed like that.