Looking for some advice on how to fix a leak on a relatively new water heater. I'm on a private well and have untreated, moderately hard water.
My AO Smith water heater is ~5 years old and I recently noticed some water in the pan it sits in (I'd estimate < 1/4 cup of water total). I don't know how long it's been leaking for. No leaks from the T&P valve, so I'm not too concerned.
Everything on the outside of the water heater looks dry, except that there's a suspicious orange line from the lower element access door. I opened up the door and couldn't get a great look (there's a bunch of insulation to work around), but it certainly looked like the water was coming out of the lower element somewhere. The instruction manual shows that there's a gasket where the element goes into the water heater.
My current plan is monitor the leak while I wait for parts to arrive, then drain the water heater (flush if necessary), take out the lower element, re-tape it, and replace the element gasket; then hope for the best (might also check the anode rod while I'm messing with everything).
One more possibly relevant note: I'm not sure what my house water pressure is, but my well's pressure tank is ~3.5 years old, so I'm assuming that's not the problem.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions on what to check/do :)
Side question: any suggestions on where to buy parts? AO Smith's web site doesn't work and all the random replacement parts sites have crazy shipping prices (e.g. $19 for a small $18 part). I ended up using eBay, but I'd prefer a more reputable dealer!