Reliance 606 Element Leaking

[Jaredpapa]

Based on the various guides on this website, I'm probably looking at replacing my water heater. But this is a last ditch effort to do some DIY before calling a repair tech or dropping hundreds on a new tank.

One month ago the lower element starting leaking rusty looking water. So I replaced the top and bottom elements. Now the bottom one is leaking again from the edge. It's not very much but it's noticeable after about 30 minutes - I'd wager about a cup of water an hour is leaking out.

Reliance 606 55 gallon
Purchase date: not sure*
Model: 650DORT
Serial: 0929AO25118
Item: 9241228000
*bought the house in January 2016 and water heater came with it. Ex-owner estimates it's about 6 years old.

 

[Dj2]

A newly installed element should not leak after 30 days. Can you pinpoint the leak source?

Anyway, you can't bypass the inevitable...might as well replace the WH now.
Shop around and find a deal on after Thanksgiving sale.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jaredpapa]

A newly installed element should not leak after 30 days. Can you pinpoint the leak source?

Anyway, you can't bypass the inevitable...might as well replace the WH now.
Shop around and find a deal on after Thanksgiving sale.

Thanks. I added more Teflon tape around the thread. It's not leaking as much. It seems to be coming from the area where the element connects to the WH port.
But I'll keep my eyes out for another WH. Thank you for the quick reply!