We've been in our house for 15 years now, and have never had a problem with our water heater, which is also 15 years old. I have heard stories about water heaters exploding or otherwise failing in some fashion, causing water damage. What is the most common way a water heater "dies"? Do I really need to be concerned about "exploding" or overflowing water? Do you think I should be proactive and go ahead and replace it even though it has never given me any problem?

I've been told water heaters don't typically last this long, and I don't really want a watery mess, especially since it's in the attic of my 2 story house. By the way, I've seen a couple of water drops leak out of the pressure relief valve when I test it out, but not sure if that is anything to be concerned about. Like I said, we've never had any issue with this water heater.

Of course this is my final decision to make, but I'd like to know what the more-knowing plumbing community thinks. I am far from being a plumber!

thanks.

From my experience, very few WH's blow out and usually the ones that I've seen that have blown out are ones that leaked for a long time (floor drain or sump pump nearby) and ignored by the H/O. Typically, a WH begins to seep slowly with a puddle forming from under the unit and spreading out over time.

Being an attic unit, I would assume that it is installed in a pan with a drain connected to it. You may also want to consider installation of a leak detector as sold thru our site sponsor.

An electric hot water tank can last for many years if it is hard water and the tank is flushed out yearly to remove the sediment buildup. One of the forum users here recently removed a 30+ year old tank from his rental that was working properly as a precaution, so age alone isn't the determining factor.

thanks. I forgot to mention that my water heater is gas. Does that make a difference in longevity?

thanks for the reply. Yes, it does have a drain pan with a pvc drain leading to the outside. Great suggestion on the leak detector. I'll definitely look into it!



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Tyically, the only warning a water heater is going to fail is that there is a "trickle" of water from it, but even that does not always happen. Usually they are fine in the morning and water is flowing from them in the afternoon.

Yes, the fact that it is a gas fired tank does make a difference. Gas tanks fail sooner than electric tanks generally. I think that you are probably approaching the end of the tank's useful life. I would probably wait until the weather cools down before I considered changing it out proactively however.

"Average" lifespan of a Gas Water Heater is 8-10 years. (Industry Standard for our Region, anyway). Also keep in mind, that after 15 years, the Water Heater is far less efficient. (I would expect about 35% efficiency). Given the age and location, you would be money ahead to replace it.

I agree to replace it.
I remember a tiny tip from Rheem/Ruud WH manufacturers trouble shooting booklets: the pink and/or blue ones (gas/electric). They state;"If the anode is kept in an "active" state there will be NO corrosion to the tank"end quote.
So if you carry anodes on your service trucks (which I don't) and show the customer the paragraph from the booklets I bet a person could sell a lot of anodes but fewer water heaters.
What say you?

I never carried a single anode rod on my truck. By the time someone needed service, it was too late, and seldom due to galvanic corrosion anyhow. Gas tanks failed burned through the combustion chamber or the gas valve failed, electrics usually rusted through from exterior damage. The hard water around my area built up a protective layer on the tank and so the anode wasn't really needed after a month or so, but tanks did need flushed out and usually a new drain installed because the old junk ones leaked like a sieve afterward.