I have water in thermostat on hot water tank, what does that indicate

Hi Apples...

As I am sure you already know, that water certainly suggests a leak of some kind.

You could SHUT OFF THE ELECTRICITY to the heater via the electrical breaker... confirming that electricity is shut off using an electrical tester... and see if you can dry things up a bit and see if you can locate the leak to the heating element itself or maybe you can tell if the leak is higher. If the leak is higher than the heating element then there is a good chance that the water heater is shot... UGH! However, take a step at a time... see if you can isolate the leak to a tapping or fitting...

Is the leak at the upper thermostat or the lower thermostat? How old is your water heater?

Mark

Thanks for your quick response, it's a pasco thermometer on the top, its tied into the pipes right on top of the tank

Is this a thermostat your talking about, or a temperature gauge? Is this a hot water maker hooked to a boiler system? If it's a temp gauge that has water in it, then you will most likely have to replace the gauge.

Yes its water in the gauge, no the tank is not hooked to the boiler

Okay, some guages have oil in them from the factory, so are you sure its water, has it always been there or is a new occurrence? Is the water leaking out of the gauge? If not, and the gauge still functions properly, you are probably okay. Just keep an eye on it, and if it starts to leak out, change the gauge.