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How Long Do Water Heaters Live? JB 06-17-2007
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Posted by JB on June 17, 2007, 8:21 pm
My 40 gal gas water heater is about 13 yrs old. Water is hot and it
works fine. The only sign of age is exterior paint starting to flake
off with rust underneath. (Its kind of strange...the flake bits are
perfectly round...like tiny polka dots.)

What is the average life of a gas water heater? I don't want to
replace a perfectly good heater with lots of life left, but I don't
want to play Russian roulette and come home from work one day to a
swimming pool in my basement!

What are the signs that its time for it to go?

THanks!

--Jeff


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Posted by willshak on June 17, 2007, 8:30 pm
on 6/17/2007 8:21 PM JB said the following:
> My 40 gal gas water heater is about 13 yrs old. Water is hot and it
> works fine. The only sign of age is exterior paint starting to flake
> off with rust underneath. (Its kind of strange...the flake bits are
> perfectly round...like tiny polka dots.)
>
> What is the average life of a gas water heater? I don't want to
> replace a perfectly good heater with lots of life left, but I don't
> want to play Russian roulette and come home from work one day to a
> swimming pool in my basement!
>
> What are the signs that its time for it to go?
>
> THanks!
>
> --Jeff
>
>

My last 40 gal. one lasted 10 years. The first sign was water on the floor.

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

Posted by Art on June 17, 2007, 8:44 pm
Water varies in quality. Ask your neighbors how long theirs lasted. But
probably it will go any day now, probably right before you want to take a
shower.


> My 40 gal gas water heater is about 13 yrs old. Water is hot and it
> works fine. The only sign of age is exterior paint starting to flake
> off with rust underneath. (Its kind of strange...the flake bits are
> perfectly round...like tiny polka dots.)
>
> What is the average life of a gas water heater? I don't want to
> replace a perfectly good heater with lots of life left, but I don't
> want to play Russian roulette and come home from work one day to a
> swimming pool in my basement!
>
> What are the signs that its time for it to go?
>
> THanks!
>
> --Jeff
>



Posted by Don Klipstein on June 17, 2007, 8:45 pm
>My 40 gal gas water heater is about 13 yrs old. Water is hot and it
>works fine. The only sign of age is exterior paint starting to flake
>off with rust underneath. (Its kind of strange...the flake bits are
>perfectly round...like tiny polka dots.)
>
>What is the average life of a gas water heater? I don't want to
>replace a perfectly good heater with lots of life left, but I don't
>want to play Russian roulette and come home from work one day to a
>swimming pool in my basement!
>
>What are the signs that its time for it to go?

I remember this being asked in a newspaper column by someone saying he
had a 15 year old water heater. The answer in the newspaper column was,
as best as I remember, "15 years, TICK TICK TICK!"

As for a warning sign: Often, but not guaranteed, is that hot water
runs out much more quickly. What happens (at least sometimes) is that a
tube in the tank that helps the water heat up evenly falls out of place
due to corrosion, and this has the effect of simulating a much smaller
tank capacity. Whenever I noticed the water heater running out of hot
water easily because of this, the water heater leaked in a matter of
months.

- Don Klipstein (don@misty.com)

Posted by trainfan1 on June 17, 2007, 9:21 pm
Don Klipstein wrote:
>> My 40 gal gas water heater is about 13 yrs old. Water is hot and it
>> works fine. The only sign of age is exterior paint starting to flake
>> off with rust underneath. (Its kind of strange...the flake bits are
>> perfectly round...like tiny polka dots.)
>>
>> What is the average life of a gas water heater? I don't want to
>> replace a perfectly good heater with lots of life left, but I don't
>> want to play Russian roulette and come home from work one day to a
>> swimming pool in my basement!
>>
>> What are the signs that its time for it to go?
>
> I remember this being asked in a newspaper column by someone saying he
> had a 15 year old water heater. The answer in the newspaper column was,
> as best as I remember, "15 years, TICK TICK TICK!"
>
> As for a warning sign: Often, but not guaranteed, is that hot water
> runs out much more quickly. What happens (at least sometimes) is that a
> tube in the tank that helps the water heat up evenly

"Dip Tube".

There was an infamous recall on a large number of water heaters several
years ago on this.

Rob

falls out of place
> due to corrosion, and this has the effect of simulating a much smaller
> tank capacity. Whenever I noticed the water heater running out of hot
> water easily because of this, the water heater leaked in a matter of
> months.
>
> - Don Klipstein (don@misty.com)

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