Leaking hot water tank

[JonDuke]

Have a small drip leaking from our hot water tank here...



...and dont know the first thing about them. The tap is tightened as much as possible, but it still drips about once every 30 seconds or so, and enough to fully soak the towel I popped under it a week ago. I popped the white bottle cap on there just now, and dont know if it will even work or if there are actual caps designed for there.

Anyone know what I can do instead of calling a plumber?

[Caged Great]

With it continuing to drip, it may be a washer issue. Those cost a few pennies, so it's just a matter of replacing it. I had a problem with a hose tap outside at the place I'm renovating and replacing the washer fixed it.

[Gozer]

Burn your house down for the insurance money before they find out.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Is your hot water tank running?

Better catch it!

[dustyanddaflames]

Or if the washer doesn't fix it, use teflon tap on the threads before putting the cap back on - may help seal the leak.

[JonDuke]

Thanks guys. Greatly appreciated.

[Robotic]

I had the exact same issue a year ago. I had to go out and buy a new drain valve because water crystals were forming inside the valve causing the leaking.

Drain the hot water tank and unscrew the drain valve (Reversed thread!) take that piece to home depot and buy a new one. I'd suggest getting a copper one as they have a longer shelf life than a plastic one. Should only cost you a couple bucks, and get plumbers tape as well to help the seal.

[Deegee]

Originally Posted by Gozer

Burn your house down

ResAlien will be so dissappointed he didn't get to say this.

[Buff]

How old is the tank? May be time to replace it anyway. Shop around, you can find good pricing to replace it, and newer models can be more energy efficient, saving you money in the long run.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Robotic

I had the exact same issue a year ago. I had to go out and buy a new drain valve because water crystals were forming inside the valve causing the leaking.

Drain the hot water tank and unscrew the drain valve (Reversed thread!) take that piece to home depot and buy a new one. I'd suggest getting a copper one as they have a longer shelf life than a plastic one. Should only cost you a couple bucks, and get plumbers tape as well to help the seal.

fyp

[HockeyPuck]

You should take into consideration the age of the tank. In my previous house, it would leak, and I thought it was from that same valve you show in your pic. But it turned out that the tank needed to be replaced. Eventually the tank corroded and my basement flooded. Fortunately, my wife was home to catch this because the basement would've continued to flood if she was not home to shut off the water.

[normtwofinger]

Real men have cold showers.

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by HockeyPuck

You should take into consideration the age of the tank. In my previous house, it would leak, and I thought it was from that same valve you show in your pic. But it turned out that the tank needed to be replaced. Eventually the tank corroded and my basement flooded. Fortunately, my wife was home to catch this because the basement would've continued to flood if she was not home to shut off the water.

That's awesome your wife knows how to shut off the water. Most don't.

[Da_Chief]

Put some gum on it.