Corrosion around WH thermostat - is this cosmetic or an Issue?

[RazzleFrazzle]

Hullo, chaps. I went to turn down my water heater thermostat for the summer in my new cheap apartment and found this:

Obviously, this doesn't look great. I'll be sending off a message to my apartment maintenance, but I wanted to ask some professionals - On a scale from 1 to totally screwed, how bad is this? Am I getting worked up over nothing, or is this Bad News?

 

[Jadnashua]

Well, it's not cosmetic, but I don't know how far along it is to a leak. Then again, I"m not a pro at this.

I will say that whomever installed it did a sloppy job. The wires should be formed into a hook so more of it is clamped underneath the screw. ANd, there has been a slow leak, so things weren't sealed well.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

The heater is beginning to get "whiskers" from old age...
you should be able to feel the rust to see if it is wet or not or use a
cloth to see

eventually it will short out...... leave the cover off for a few days and see if it
drys up

 

[Dj2]

"Am I getting worked up over nothing, or is this Bad News?"

- You are on the way to bad news.
Replace the WH, you have nothing to gain by holding on to it.
Good thing you decided to focus on this now, rather than later when you have a leak or a short.

 

[RazzleFrazzle]

Thank you, truly. I appreciate you guys taking the time to share expertise.