Tom wrote:

Hi, this morning I cleaned up a mess in my basement caused by a water
leak. Most of the water was on the floor of the bathroom and
surrounding areas, including under the Whirlpool water heater that
was installed 3 - 4 years ago.
I checked all the water pipes and fittings in the bathroom but they
were dry and apparently not the source of the leak.
After mopping up the water it appears no more water is leaking.

Would a leaking water heater cause this type of leak?

Because of a water leak (single drip every minute or so) in the cold
water pipe supplying the bath tub on the second floor I've been
turning off the water main supplying the house before going to bed
and turning it back on in the morning. This drip\leak is not the
source of the water leak in the basement.

Is there any reason turning on/off the water main, which is located in
a different place then where the water leak occurred, would cause a
water leak?.

Yes. Turning off the main water valve could cause the water heater's
relief valve to open. Here's why: water expands when heated. The extra
volume has to have somewhere to go. With your main valve open, this extra
volume goes back into the water main feeding your house. With the valve
closed, this extra volume has nowhere to go but out the pressure relief
valve on your water heater.

Mark M.