31 replies to this topic

[camay2327]

We have been in our present home here in Folsom since June 2000.

That is over 14 years now. I was reading about hot water heaters and

the article said that they typically last between 3 to 12 years.

 

Do they just quit operating, get holes in the bottom (leak) ??

 

Should I be keeping a close eye on it?

 

Anyone go through this recently?

[Chris]

14 years here too.....    I am thinking it will go pretty soon.  They last longer if you flush them every year to get out the rust and scale.   My flush valve seized up about 5 years ago so I don't do that anymore.   They are a simple iron pressure vessel and eventually they rust out and get a pin hole and they start leaking.   Either that or dissimilar metals at the inlet and outlet corrode you out and you get a break there.   Easy to replace if you can solder pipe.  Turn off the water and gas to the unit, empty out the old one, disconnect gas line, piping, and secure strap.  I always set mine up with flex lines and valves for the  inlet and outlet so I can shut off my water on each end for repairs or easy replacement without having to solder new joints/pipes.  Good to always replace your gas line when you get a new heater.   Cheap to do yourself, $1500 if a plumber does it I think....?   Regards, Chris

[4thgenFolsomite]

They always used to last at least 30 years if they were made previous to the 1980s, but I have been told the life is much shorter on post 1980s models. Ours was built in.1997 and is going strong

[Homer]

Sometimes hot water heaters fail without warning, Mine was working fine until one day i noticed about 50 gallons of water on the garage floor. If i had one located inside the house i would have it inspected from time to time. When i replaced the water heater i had it relocated outside the house which freed up garage space and prevents water damage in case of another failure. 

[camay2327]

Sometimes hot water heaters fail without warning, Mine was working fine until one day i noticed about 50 gallons of water on the garage floor. If i had one located inside the house i would have it inspected from time to time. When i replaced the water heater i had it relocated outside the house which freed up garage space and prevents water damage in case of another failure. 

 

Homer, that is what I am worried about, water on the garage floor.  I check it every day because I work out in the garage

for an hour almost every day. O would catch a small leak, if that is what happens. It would be a major, quick leak that I

would have to worry about.

[cw68]

My last one went out at 16 years. I have no idea if any maintenance was done or if it was ever flushed; it went just a couple of months after moving into the house. FYI

[Deb aka Resume Lady]

I've never had a hot water heater. All of my water heaters have heated cold water. I mean, if the water was hot to begin with, why heat it?

[nomad]

Technically the water in the water heater is only cold when it's briefly refilled, the rest of the time it's filled with warmed water and kept at a certain temp so the term Hot Water Heater is correct.

[kfergo]

I've never had a hot water heater. All of my water heaters have heated cold water. I mean, if the water was hot to begin with, why heat it?

 

Have you considered running for Congress?

[SacKen]

You're probably running on borrowed time now.  My 1998 install was replaced last year, so about 15 years.  We started finding water puddles on the garage floor near the unit.  I've seen some failures result in a white residue in the water when you turn it on. Those are the two main symptoms of failure I've experienced.

[DavidH]

Replacing the anode every 3-4 years and also flushing it will do wonders for the longevity.

[camay2327]

You're probably running on borrowed time now.  My 1998 install was replaced last year, so about 15 years.  We started finding water puddles on the garage floor near the unit.  I've seen some failures result in a white residue in the water when you turn it on. Those are the two main symptoms of failure I've experienced.

Ken

thanks

[Steve Heard]

Mine went out on Hallween 2001. I had the flu, had just come from trick-or-treating with my daughters, crawled into bed, and my wife said, 'we don't have any hot water'.

 

I went to the garage and found the bottom had rusted through. We had only been here 4 months, and still had some boxes of stuff on the floor. It was all wet. 

 

Good times.

 

Anyway, I'm told they should last 10 to 15 years, and I'm coming up on 13. 

 

I'd better get those boxes off the floor. 

[FolsomEJ]

We replaced ours a year after we moved in, before it failed.  We recognized the lifetime and the odds were against us.

 

Why does everyone wait until it fails?

[Steve Heard]

 

 

Why does everyone wait until it fails?

 

We like to live life on the edge.