hot water heater leaking water but still heats up water just...

[every]

hot water heater leaking water but still heats up water just fine? What can we do without calling a repair person?

[n_flames]

Is your W/H gas or electric & where is it leaking from?

[pkgaur]

I have same thing going on in my basement. I have A O Smith, 40 gal, natural gas heater and it is leaking water at the bottom. There is a small puddle around it. I think it is 15 years old (I bought this house 3 years ago). The bottom part also looks rusted but it is heating the water just fine, no problems in the hot water suppy to the whole house. Is it time to get a new one or can this be repaired?

[n_flames]

Does your water heater have a water cutoff,you may need it soon. With a 15 years old,its best to install a new one.

[pkgaur]

Thanks for the reply! I got a new heater last weekend and it was installed yesterday. A tip for those looking to buy a new heater, do your research and buy something that is close in size (not the capacity but the external dimensions) of the unit you have. That way you will not need much modifications when putting the new one in. I think I got ripped off a little by the contractor who installed it but I have the new one now. They charge you $250 for installation and then charge you extra for other things that are changed including the things that they probably change everytime they install a new one. I think those at least should have been covered in the 250.