Would the cold water make the hot water heater leak?

not your cold water

FYI: its not a hot water heater it is a cold water heater, or a water heater.

Also it just sounds like your water heater has seen better days and may need replaced, it depends on where it is leaking from, if it is electric it could be an element leaking water, a plumbing leak near the heater, the drain spigot,the T&P safety valve leaking, or worst case the tank has rusted through. Time to investigate whats actually leaking

It has nothing to do with you using only cold water.

It just means your hot water heater has a leak. It most likely needs to be replaced. If the water is dripping from the bottom of the tank then the whole thing needs to be replace soon. If it is leaking from one of the pipes that connects to the water heater then the connection needs to be tightened or repaired.

It has nothing to with using cold water only. There is always water in the hot water heater tank and the tank and lines are always under pressure. Even if you don't ever use the hot water.

There are already quite a few good ideas out there, but i will toss out a couple of different strategies: #1 - you could have quite simply purchased a fine, new, but undersized hot water heater. These things are in actual fact colossal tea pots. If the pot would not have ample water in it to last more than 20 minutes of use with something rate your making use of it, then wager what, you "use up all of the hot water". Furthermore, you could have the temperature set scale back. Suppose you might be used to showering in a "sizzling" shower, and the ancient heater used to be set at 200 levels. You would have been making use of 25% scorching and seventy five% bloodless for a scorching a hundred and fifteen measure shower. So if the brand new heater is best heating the tank up to one hundred sixty five levels, then you're going to require more scorching to mix with the bloodless to get the identical one hundred fifteen measure shower. Check the temp settings first. #2 - mixer valves at a faucet are fairly unique than the "automatic" mixer valves the opposite guys have mentioned here. I do not consider it can be viable for there to be again flow from a sink of tub mixer, as it will just drip out. #three - there is a different form of gadget used to maintain the sizzling water circulating in the pipes in order that you don't have to look forward to your water to "heat up". Typically this takes the type of a secondary loop that runs again to your boiler from each extremity of the system. A temperature sensor valve opens when the water in those circuits cools to a specified temp, inflicting the water to be recirculated into the boiler for reheating. When you have that setup, and your plumber did not reconnect it safely when he converted the boiler, you may have the lack of sizzling water. The opposite variant is the place the residence is build with single traces, in order that they connect the scorching traces below the sink instantly to the drain. When the temp sensor valve detects bloodless water in the hot line, it opens and explanations sizzling water from the boiler to flow to that circuit so as quickly as you activate the faucet, it's constantly hot. That is an obvious manner you would have a "scorching water leak" and not see any drips. Altering the washers for your faucets will only support when you have a somewhat fast leak of sizzling water that you would surely see / hear.

As the above answer states it is just that the liner of the water heater has deteriorated. I would strongly urge you to replace the water heater as soon as possible as a flood may be in your very near future. However many gallons of water it holds will eventually come spilling out onto the floor followed by a continuous flow of water as it attempts to refill an empty container with a hole in the bottom.

No, the minerals in the water eat thru the water tank and then it leaks. Its just the water in general, not the hot or cold.

the only time your cold water tank could affect this is, if your cold water tank had frozen,and this causes expansion which could rupture the seams.

but most likely you just have a leak through wear and tear over the years. but do get someone to check all fittings, they could have worked loose, and need tightening.

Only if the water froze