New water heater - water in electrical compartment

[EternalArianne]

I know most people on this forum are mechanically inclined, so I figured I'd take a shot with this question here before joining a home improvement forum.

Last month I replaced a 20 year old water heater that was in my house when I bought it. It's under the house, one of those 38 gallon "lowboy" varieties, and it's sitting on a concrete platform.

It's working fine but I noticed upon install that the original wiring was kinda shoddy so yesterday I was going to run new wire from the breaker to the water heater. Low and behold, when I open the electrical compartment on top of the WH, it's full of rusty water. How it didn't catch fire already is beyond reckoning...

I can't find any leaks in the water lines so I'm not sure where it's coming from. I'm pretty sure it's not seeping up from inside the tank due to it being rusty water and the tank is brand new. My neighbor thinks it's condensation since I've got the included insulation blanket wrapped around the WH, but again why would it be rusty?

Has anyone ever seen this before? I soaked up all the rusty water from the compartment, I'm going to check it again in a few days to see if it has returned.

[ol'George]

lectricity and rusty wadder don't play well together.
I suggest you drain the wadder in the electrical box and add antifreeze so it don't turn rusty again.
Now be careful that you use green antifreeze, non of that pinko stuff
like death ah kool.

Don't worry if an occasional drip of wadder occurs from the bulb when you switch the
bat-room light on, it is jus condensation from a previous hot bath.
FWIW:
Do turn the kurrant at the main fuzz box off, before adding green coolant.

Sometimes those modi kules in da koolant get confused with all of those pluses and minuses arguing like congress in a debt limit debate
.
Now once the lecric' cover is securely replaced, it is ok to turn the power back on as the hydrogen gas produced will calm those gubbermint fellers down quickly.

Oh as a side note, me thinks yall got leaky/defective new wadder tank.
Assuming it is an electric heater it's possible one of the heating elements missed being properly tightened at the factory, allowing leakage.
or one of your water line connections is leaking.
is the tank insulation wet?
Do keep a close watch on it that is not safe as you know, and do turn the breaker OFF before even getting close to it, you are talking 220 volts, it can be fatal, not just a shock!!!

[EternalArianne]

Yes this is an electric water heater. I'm referring to the part where the wires connect at the top, not the side panels where the elements are.

The insulation blanket is not wet, so I'm wondering if the water got in there before I put the blanket on (I used it for a week before adding the blanket to make sure it all worked).

[CubDieselFan]

Shoot us some pictures.

[EternalArianne]

Ok so my wife just took a long hot shower then I went out and checked the water heater. There is visible water underneath the top insulation blanket but no leaks on the plumbing. Maybe it is condensation?

I removed the top blanket entirely and will check again to see if it see any more water buildup...

[Cub Cadet 123]

Never seen braided metal used on a water heater like that. We use pex pvc to plumb into water heaters in my neck of the woods. It is more than likely condensation, but if you have over tightened your braided pipes, then the seals may have been compromised, resulting in a small leak. You can purchase some pipe insulation (foam wraps) to put around your pipes to prevent condensation, if that is the case. They are black and have an adhesive strip built into them to seal them up if you want, but I would leave them unsealed at first so that you could easily remove them and check to see if that remedied your problem. If it is the seals, then you will need to purchase other pipes. Pex pipe is easily installed and faster. It used to be called quest pex. The tool to install it is only around $60, too.

Cub Cadet 123

[ol'George]

Take the complete top blanket cover off, obviously you have a leak, I doubt that much water is from condensation.
Have he newly clean wifey, try shutting the water of/on quickly to get a pressure bump, might be a situation where a surge will leak, but not a normal on/off situation, just a guess.
Luck!

[EternalArianne]

These hoses were in the water heater section at the same store I got the WH. They have built in shutoff valves and just clip right onto existing copper pipes with a "shark bite" connection.

I'll go outside and check it again later while my son takes a shower and see if I notice any leaks...

[darkminion_17]

Originally Posted by Cub Cadet 123

Never seen braided metal used on a water heater like that. We use pex pvc to plumb into water heaters in my neck of the woods. It is more than likely condensation, but if you have over tightened your braided pipes, then the seals may have been compromised, resulting in a small leak. You can purchase some pipe insulation (foam wraps) to put around your pipes to prevent condensation, if that is the case. They are black and have an adhesive strip built into them to seal them up if you want, but I would leave them unsealed at first so that you could easily remove them and check to see if that remedied your problem. If it is the seals, then you will need to purchase other pipes. Pex pipe is easily installed and faster. It used to be called quest pex. The tool to install it is only around $60, too.

Cub Cadet 123

The mice like pex too. I would go coppa.

[EternalArianne]

Ok I just checked it multiple times while running the dishwasher (which uses only hot water) and I don't see any leaks or water pooling on the top since I removed the top blanket. I'll check it again while my son is showing later but I suspect it was just condensation caused by the blanket?

If there isn't any more water later I guess I'll just remove the blanket entirely since we don't get cold winters here anymore - yay climate change!