gas water tank leak

hi - i have a richmond 7k50 gas water heater. it is leaking from the drain valve. does this spell doom for the heater? thanks
keith

If it is just the valve, you can replace the valve. If it is leaking around where the valve goes into the tank, you probably need a new tank. If you are referring to the T&P valve at the top of the tank, that valve may be bad, or you have other problems. The T&P valve opens for several reasons: it's worn out, the water is too hot, the pressure is too high. If it is leaking, you need to find out which is the problem (or problems). Over pressure can be caused by more than one thing, and the solution depends on what's going on.

thanks jim - it is leaking from the valve near the bottom - used to drain the tank.

If it is brass it will unscrew, but may take some ingenuity to grab hold of it. If it is plastic, it will probably snap off and then it can be a challenge for a DIYer to get the broken piece out. A hose valve cap will stop the leaking.