Water heater H8s me.

Hi, folks. OK, so let me first say that I'm not an especially technical dude. I've replaced toilets and installed lights and whatnot, but my handyman expertise is limited. You know, like a little girl. Or a fairly smart monkey.

A couple of days ago, I noticed that my electric water heater (in the crawlspace under the house) is leaking at its top (and seems to have been leaking for some time). Not from the input or output connection, but from two indentations on top of the unit that fall near the connections. Because of its proximity to the floor joists, I can't get my giant head up there to get a good look. Although when I poke around up there with my finger, I feel things inside those dents that seem to be bolts. Incredibly rusted, corroded bolts that crumble under the slightest finger pressure.

Apologies, but I'm not sure what the brand is; it's one of the 32-inch fatboy models for confined spaces, and I'm sure it's at least 10 years old. Are these some sort of pressure-release points that have overrun and rusted? Can I replace them? Do I just need to man up and buy a new water heater? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

At 10-years, you probably need to budget for a new one.

There is a T&P valve on top that, under the right circumstances, could release water, but other than that, no other connections should be leaking.

Being under the floor in a crawlspace, you could have a condensation problem (maybe from the cold water pipe?) that over the years and with poor air circulation with the constant drips might cause that problem. But, 10-years is fairly good for a WH. May be time to replace.

Maybe with a mirror, you can get a better idea of what's going on.

Cool, thanks, Jim. I thought as much. I'll try to get a better look with the ol' mirror trick, and I've already been doing some looking about for a new unit. If I do replace it, I'll make sure to keep an eye out for condensation.