Water heater is leaking and you can't find the source
A water heater that leaks slowly is usually leaking from a fitting or a valve, and those are repairs. Dry the whole unit, then check three places: the connectors on top, the T&P discharge pipe on the side, and the drain valve at the bottom front. If every fitting stays dry and water keeps appearing under the tank, the tank has rusted through and the heater gets replaced. A leaking tank is never repaired, at any age.
Read the full guideNo hot water at all and the electric heater is silent
An electric water heater that gives completely cold water and makes no sound has either lost power or lost a heating element. Check the breaker and the disconnect switch beside the tank first, because a tripped breaker or a switch knocked off is the most common cause and costs nothing to fix. If power is on and the water is still cold two hours later, the high-limit reset has tripped or an element or thermostat has failed, and that is a repair visit, not a new heater. Replace the tank only when it leaks from the tank itself.
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