Water Heater Pipe Leak
Immediately turn off the valve nearest the supply side of the leak.
Water heater pipe leak. Leaking may be cause by the old pipes or by the water heater overflow pipe of hot water heater pipe leaking. Water is spraying from the pipes or water heater. Tear off enough plumbing epoxy putty to fully cover the surface around the leak. The supply pipes delivering water to the water heater are leaking at their connections the pipes themselves are leaking or there is a leak inside the water heater tank.
A leaking hot water heater can result from leaks in the pipes. There is usually an union on each one that allows for the removal of the hot water tank. Drain the water from the damaged line and ensure that the area to be patched is clean and dry so that the epoxy will properly adhere to the pipe. This could be caused by either a faulty valve or a high pressure situation in the water heater.
Check the plumbing pipes above the water heater using a stepladder if necessary. Or may be leak in the drain pipes of the hot water system overflow pipe water heater running. There may be a lot of reasons hot water heater leaking. Some fixtures and pipes are more prone to leaking than others.
Another possible leak source is the supply lines leading to and from your water heater. The first place to check is the plumbing pipes above the water heater. Shut off the water heater shut off the water supply and drain some of the water from the tank. The cold water comes in and hot water goes out.
A drip from above can easily leak down on top of the water heater and even work its way down the insulation and make it look like the leak is coming from the tank itself. If you have determined that this was the cause of your leakage simply reattach the fitting using a pipe wrench to prevent the leakage to expand. An older water heater can develop pinholes along its bottom due to corrosion inside the tank and water pipes that lead to exterior. If the tank is leaking there must be internal leak of hot water heater.
In some cases a shut off valve is located on a pipe right before or above the water heater and may have a red handle. Since these pipes require a watertight connection to prevent leaks any degradation in that seal can cause water to leak on top of and around your water heater. If your water heater is older there is a high possibility that this is the cause of your problem. At the top of your hot water heater you have an inlet and an outlet pipe.
Immediately turn off the water supply upstream of the leaking pipes.