Atwood water heater different leak

[hgpezi]

Hi I am fairly new here and I have a problem with my Atwood water heater. I checked already older posts but I could not find an answer.

Problem is that the water heater is leaking right underneath the drain plug. The drainplug is not the issue becuase it stays dry all the time. Around that drain plug is a white foam ring and the water is coming out there. I really don't know is it something bigger or is it only a gasket. Any suggestions?

I attached 2 pictures and I hope it helps to understand.

[wa8yxm]

Looking at it I think the drain plug IS the issue.. Leaks sometimes are strange but that plug is not all the way into the hole.

[hgpezi]

Thank you everybody. I am going to get it out and trying to get a better idea what is going on.

[Old-Biscuit]

If leak is due to bad weld job vs damage from being frozen.........Atwood warranty would cover costs of repair. IIRC 2 yr. warranty

[Gjac]

Is it still covered under a warranty? If not I would remove that foam piece and wrap that plug with Teflon tape and re tighten it. You should be able to see where the leak is coming from. You may have a cracked tank as others have said but on a year old unit I would want to be sure it wasn't leaking from the plug, or from the Pressure Relief Valve and running down a wire and pooling in back of the foam.

[midnightsadie]

tempature and pressure valve also known as a safty release valve ,water gets to hot and it will spurt out that hole, at the top of the tank it has a little handle on it, and asking questions is how we learned ,so keep looking for that leak your rv is to new to be rusted threw. might pull that white tag off you could see better.

[hgpezi]

First off all thank you all for your help.

@ old-Biscuit I did not winterrize it but my dealer did while it was in for a service last fall.

@ midnightsadie our TT is only just over a year old

What surprises me is there is absolutely no water inside the trailer I checked it from inside there is a access panel.

I told you I am very new to Rving so I have to asked "What is the T&P valve?"

[SoundGuy]

hgpezi wrote:
Any suggestions?

Yep. You have a hairline crack in the weld where the drain plug sits ... it's a simple repair but you'll have to remove the water heater from the trailer and strip it down to just the tank so you can get to that weld. We camped with friends last month who had this exact problem with their own Atwood water heater, in their case in the weld where the pressure relief valve screws into the tank. After eliminating the obvious leaky connections it was clear the tank itself was leaking from a crack that we couldn't see with the WH still mounted in the trailer. Removing it is simple, 'though I'd suggest you take pics as you go along so if there's any question later when you reinstall you'll have pics to refer to. Once the WH has been removed from the trailer you'll have to strip it of ALL parts until you're left with just the tank and the black sheet metal base pan attached to it. To separate the two you have to destroy the metal rings and gaskets that secure the base pan to the tank but Atwood sells a replacement ring and gasket set that any dealer can get you. Once the tank is free of the base pan you'll most likely find a hairline crack in that weld quite easily ... once you know where that crack is just have it aluminum welded ... cost my friend $20. Once welded and you're sure the tank is otherwise fine it's time for reassembly but you WILL need a new ring and gasket set. A tip - use something that's 2.75" in diameter as a drift, that will ensure that the metal rings will go on straight ... get 'em crooked and you'll be buying yet another ring and gasket set. 😉

[midnightsadie]

look some place else up around the safty valve OR,you got a pin hole in your tank.my guess.. if so your gonna be buying a new tank, how old is this rv? if you need a new tank look on line for a cheaper price than a dealer.

[Old-Biscuit]

IF the T&P Relief Valve above is not weeping/dripping down then you have a crack in WH tank..most likely at the drain plug bung weld.
It can be repaired (re-welded) but will require complete disassemble of water heater components/pan/frame from WH tank to access area .

Don't know where you live........did you not drain/winterize WH tank and it froze?

[ksg5000]

That ring just covers up insulation material which surrounds the water heater.

[Chris_Bryant]

It's gonna be something bigger- there are no other opening back there, until you get to the back of the heater, unless it is leaking at the T&P valve