Noticed water in the drain pan of the water heater today. Didn't notice any active leaks but at some point there was enough water that it either over flowed or missed the pan from the top relief. Any ideas? Heater is pretty old but would like to get another year out of it if possible

Yep, time to work on getting a replacement because nobody knows when it'll give.

It's a pretty simple DIY job right? What do i need to buy? Any brands to get or avoid? Will probably go to HD. Is tankless worth it?

Looks like the tankless are about the same price as the other. Is that a good route to go?

Seven said:

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It's a pretty simple DIY job right? What do i need to buy? Any brands to get or avoid? Will probably go to HD. Is tankless worth it?

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If you have gas, yes.

And it's not just a matter of having gas available... Bigger question is do you have enough. The burners on tankless heaters can be 180-200,000 BTU and usually require a 3/4" gas line. This is in contrast to the typical 40,000 BTU burner on a tank heater that can be fed from a 1/2" line. I looked at tankless a while back (going into a closet to replace a tank) and decided it wasn't worth it after considering the time and expense to upgrade the gas service, run a new concentric vent, and the final nail in the coffin was how to deal with the condensate without a floor drain available nearby.

Why not get an outdoor unit and install it near the gas meter? That's what we're doing - it saves a whole bunch of trouble.

Would have considered going that route, but the layout of my house and location of the gas meter would have added about an 80 foot throw to get hot water to the nearest fixture, not to mention the bathrooms on the other side of the house currently fed by the tank on the far side. Plus the entire house is plumbed with copper under the slab, the water service enters from the street in front, and the gas comes in from the alley in the rear. Headaches all around.

I'm not up for replumbing my gas lines so I'll stay with regular. Is Rheem an ok brand? What about size? Have 2 adults a 3 year old and a baby

We have 2 adults, and three small children, and we use a 50 gallon. Truthfully, just replace whatever size you had unless you used to run out of hot water. 40 gallon is another common size, and that may be plenty for you.

I replaced my first gas hot water heater about 6 months ago. Whole project took about 2 hours, and that included the trip to the plumbing store. It was very easy.

And as others said, go ahead and replace it. The water in the pan means there is a leak somewhere. Most likely the tank is corroded, and developed a crack. It make be fine for another week, or another 3 months, but at some point, it is going to burst and create a huge mess unless you replace it. Best to replace it now before it becomes a bigger problem.

Also, another tip. Use a sharpie, and write on the heater the date you install it (also, save the receipt). Most heaters have a 6 year warranty, and that date will make your life easier if it fails 5 years down the road. Mine failed with 2 weeks left on the warranty, and having that date plus the receipt saved me some cash.

Seven said:

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I'm not up for replumbing my gas lines so I'll stay with regular. Is Rheem an ok brand? What about size? Have 2 adults a 3 year old and a baby

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A Rheem from somewhere other than a big box, I hear is OK.

So the leak is in the top of the tank which I guess is better than the bottom but there is a constant slow leak and when the tank is being used there is a small but steady stream. The bigger problem is the drain pan is also leaking which is causing the water to be in the garage. Going to swap everything out tomorrow.

Enjoy! Hopefully not much sediment in the tank. Suckers can get rather heavy when full of crap.

Josepi said:

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Also, another tip. Use a sharpie, and write on the heater the date you install it (also, save the receipt). Most heaters have a 6 year warranty, and that date will make your life easier if it fails 5 years down the road. Mine failed with 2 weeks left on the warranty, and having that date plus the receipt saved me some cash.

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Better yet, check the sacrificial anode every year and replace if necessary.

keep the receipt and instruction manuals in ziplock bags taped onto every appliance...on the outside of bag, write model and serial numbers

akaggie05 said:

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Would have considered going that route, but the layout of my house and location of the gas meter would have added about an 80 foot throw to get hot water to the nearest fixture, not to mention the bathrooms on the other side of the house currently fed by the tank on the far side. Plus the entire house is plumbed with copper under the slab, the water service enters from the street in front, and the gas comes in from the alley in the rear. Headaches all around.

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Ah. It's the other way around on our end - going tankless removes over 100' of pipe between the heater and master bathroom (house is in an "L" shape and this puts the heater in the middle).

Well that was easy

Seven said:

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Well that was easy

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Yep. After I did it myself, I was pissed that I ever paid a plumber $800 to do it.

Now if it had been in the attic or something I may be singing a different tune. My neighbor is a beast of a man.

The leak in the pan was because the gasket had shifted some and had gotten slightly off the hole. There was a notching type locking system on the pvc drain that wouldn't come off so the drain hole had to be notched. So I centered it up and siliconed behind the gasket. Of course everything on the old one from the previous owners was barely hand tight so that annoyed me. Hopefully I can get my garage dried out and not have any mold or mildew issues. Had been leaking for a week or so before I really realized what was causing it.

Had same issue as OP. Just changed out electric water heater. Everything was working fine. Went to dump hold one at recycle center and when I got back there is about a cm if water in pan. Slow drip from pressure release valve tube. Why would that be leaking?

Earp16 said:

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Had same issue as OP. Just changed out electric water heater. Everything was working fine. Went to dump hold one at recycle center and when I got back there is about a cm if water in pan. Slow drip from pressure release valve tube. Why would that be leaking?

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Poorly seated valve? Try to open it and reseat it?

If that doesn't work, may need to be replaced.

I reopened and closed the valve yesterday and seemed to work fine. I let hot water run for awhile as I watched and no noticeable drip. This morning checked the pan again and a more water. Not as much as yesterday though.
I have a thermal expansion tank. Could that be what is causing the leak?