Water heater leaking

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samthetramp

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So what I thought was a slow drip from a low point drain valve has evolved into a full blown leak from my water heater. It's a suburban in a 2019 Montana. Paperwork says the tank has a 3 year warranty which I'm still in but barely. Has anyone had to have WH warranty work done? Did being a full timer come into play?
 
Have you looked to see exactly where it’s coming from? If it’s a leak in the tank caused by incorrect winterizing then it would probably not be covered. Are you sure is not just a loose fitting? I take it your a full timer so winterization will not come into play unless you camp in freezing temperatures.
Are you taking it to a dealer?
 
Odds are high its a water supply line/fitting rather than the tank itself, but anything is possible. The first step is to ascertain just what is leaking.

What did you mean by "a slow drip from a low point drain valve". That would seem to have nothing to do with a heater leak. Exactly where is the water coming from?
 
Have you looked to see exactly where it’s coming from? If it’s a leak in the tank caused by incorrect winterizing then it would probably not be covered. Are you sure is not just a loose fitting? I take it your a full timer so winterization will not come into play unless you camp in freezing temperatures.
Are you taking it to a dealer?
Rene I'm always hooked up to city water so winterizing doesn't come into play. Camper has been in continuous use since Feb 2019 except for Sept thru Dec 2019 and I blew out all lines. Tank was empty.
 
Odds are high its a water supply line/fitting rather than the tank itself, but anything is possible. The first step is to ascertain just what is leaking.

What did you mean by "a slow drip from a low point drain valve". That would seem to have nothing to do with a heater leak. Exactly where is the water coming from?
Gary the "drip" was on the low point drain pipe when I 1st noticed it. Now it's a continuous pou from there and a point just below the WH.
 

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I refilled the WH this afternoon and looked all around it with a light and inspection mirror and saw nothing at all. There is no water leaking from either the hot or cold water connections. There is a small rust stain on the styrofoam just below the cold water fitting but not even a drip. I could see water flowing to low ground slowly from the area below the styrofoam but no other evidence of a leak. The bad for me part aside from not having hot water and the cost of the repairs is no one relatively close can see it before Thanksgiving.
 

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From your second picture, it looks like the board is getting damp. Whatever the issue is, I would suggest attention at the earliest opportunity, even if you have to do it yourself if possible. Are you sure it's not dripping from the pressure relief valve?
 
Tony, unless I’m missing something but from what I see is the 2nd picture is of the backside of the heater.
 
Yes Rene, the picture is of the back of the heater, but the floor looks like it's damp. My point about the pressure relief possibly weeping is it might track back under the water heater. Perhaps I should have explained better, sorry.
 
That’s OK. I thought I was loosing my mind because I didn’t see a picture with the circuit board. WHEW!!!
 
Gary the "drip" was on the low point drain pipe when I 1st noticed it. Now it's a continuous pou from there and a point just below the WH.
The "low point drain" typically has nothing to do with the water heater - it's a drain for the entire water system. Is the water coming out of the tube itself or running out around it? One tube or both?

Low point drains may have valves or caps. Maybe you just have a leaky shut-off valve?

Your later photo & report suggests the heater isn't the source of the water.
 
Low point drains are, well, low. So anything leaking onto the floor in their vacinity will run through the hole in the floor that they go to and drip out. If the water touches the drain line as it goes through the hole it will run down the outside of the pex and look like the drain valve is leaking when it isn't.

Can you take a picture of the floor area where the low point drain valves are? The picture shows the ends where they come out the bottom but I don't see them behind your tank.

One other question, is the water that is dripping out hot?
 
Sorry guy's I've been busy. The original statement saying low point drains may be misleading. I have 2 pex pipes that point staight down and have valves like what is on the water line on your house toilet in them. I wasn't told what they actually are but I use them in the purge process of air or antifreeze from the lines. The actual low point drain is capped. I guess the camper was tilted slightly and water from the leak was dripping from these pipes. Since I have rarely turned one of in a house and not had it leak I assumed it was them so it wasn't a big deal. The drip came right off the pipe end and it was just a purge/flush drain pipe. The 1st pic has the red and blue pipes in it. I dropped it off at Pete's RV yesterday so hopefully in the next couple weeks they'll get to it. I don't know what the problem is only that the leak seemed to be coming from under the water tank inside the coach walls. That is the only water source in that area.
 
The colored pipes are probably your low point drains and the pipe that is capped may be your fresh water tank drain.
 
I think the colored lines are like purge lines for getting air out. The capped one I'm guessing is to hold the drain line that I never used as I already had one.
 
I think the colored lines are like purge lines for getting air out. The capped one I'm guessing is to hold the drain line that I never used as I already had one.
Air trapped in a line will go away when you run water trough a faucet. The function of those blue and red lines are to drain the cold and hot water lines when winterizing.

Can you explain a little better when you say “the caped one is to hold the drain line I never use as I already had one”.
 

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