Water heater leaking - need advice

How old is the unit? If it's pretty old (60's-70's-80's) might as well replace with something new. When you start replacing one thing they have a habit of needing something else shortly thereafter.

When you replace get a drop pan under it as well and make sure it's drained to where you can see it.

If it is leaking from the unit and not a pipe, I think it needs to be replaced. I would move this to the top of the project list.

An air inlet at the bottom of the tank sounds like air for the flame. Any air vent on the water side should be on top. Turn off the gas and look inside with a flash light. It may be the actual tank leaking.

It's not a pipe leaking, it's the unit. I'm about to drain it and disconnect it. Once I get it out of the house, I'll take a closer look to see if I can find where the leak originates, but I'm expecting that I'll be going to pick up a new one soon.

Home Depot sells them everyday. Make a run.

If you taken it out to look at it just replace it. They under $500 for a good one. Before you buy at Home Depot (frick home depot the Falcons owner owns them as well and I dont support him) check out Coburns if you have one in your area.

disassemble that thing take a sawzall to it and make a bbq pit out of old the tank.

EWE Tiger this might be your lucky day.

I have a Rudd old as shite that started doing the same thing a few months ago. My handyman discovered that the water was actually water vapor accumulated in the exhaust vent tube or pipe and was leaking back down the unit into the floor making it look like the unit was leaking when it was not. the fix? He drilled a few holes in the exhaust pipe outside to allow it to drain. This is a late 80's set up, but maybe your problem hopefully. It has never done this before but was caused by the high humidity and heat wave

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EWE Tiger this might be your lucky day.

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No it wasn't. Thanks for sharing your fix, and it may have worked. I can go a day or two without hot water, but the wife and little one can't. So I bought and installed a new one. The "old" water heater had a manufacture date of 10/2006, so less than 8 years old. When I shut off the inlet valve, it was leaking. Doesn't leak when the valve is open, only when it's closed. When I went to shut off the water to replace it, I realized the water company put in a new meter cover that you need a special key to open. A regular meter key won't even fit in the hole. I went to the Ford meter company website, and apparently they make these covers so the homeowner or whoever can't open them. I tried several homemade "keys" without success. It looks like it takes a skeleton type key. If there's another shutoff at the house, I can't find it, always just turned it off at the road. I'll be around some people a lot handier than me for the Saints game tomorrow, so hopefully one of them knows how to open the new meter covers. If anybody knows how to get into these things, I'd really appreciate you letting me know.

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You should have an accessible water main of your own, if you don't, install one.

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That's what the water company said. The house is on a slab, I wouldn't even know where to start.