Electric water heater leaking from the bottom
Electric heaters have one repairable cause that gas units do not have at all: a failed heating-element gasket. The elements screw into the side of the tank behind the access panels, and when a gasket goes, water runs down inside the jacket and appears at the floor looking exactly like tank failure.
Never touch an electric heater's wiring, thermostat cover, or access panels while standing in water. Cut the breaker from the panel first, and if you cannot reach it safely, call a professional.
How to tell it's this
- Water shows at the base but the floor around the tank stays dry until it reaches it.
- Lifting the lower access panel shows wet insulation behind it.
- You have been getting less hot water than usual, or none — a flooded element often fails electrically too.
- The breaker has tripped, or keeps tripping.
What to do
- Switch the heater's breaker off at the panel before opening any access panel. The terminals behind them are live at 240 V.
- Shut off the cold water to the heater.
- Have a plumber or electrician pull the access panels and check both element gaskets. Wet insulation at an element is the diagnosis.
- If both elements are dry and the water is genuinely seeping from under the tank body, the tank has failed and needs replacing.
What it costs
With a plumber
Replace the heating element and its gasket
$200–$400
installed
Part only
If a pro is already on site
$15–$40
the part itself
Typical US ranges for 2026, not quotes. Labour is 30–50% of an installed price, so where you live moves these numbers more than anything else does. Get two or three local estimates.