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Author:
froggydoggy (OH)
I have a 20 year old glass-lined water heater. It seems to be running fine, but how do I know if it needs replaced? My wife is concerned about it being so old. However, I've heard of them lasting much longer than 20 years. Plus, do the energy savings with the new water heaters on the market today justify replacing it?
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Author:
North Carolina Plumber (NC)
99% of my customers wait till the water heater starts leaking before replacing it. Rest assured that a new water heater won't last as long as your old one has. I'd leave it until it begins to leak.
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Author:
packy (MA)
you don't know when to replace a water heater.
if it is not leaking, leave it alone..
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Author:
froggydoggy (OH)
The water-heater is in our finished basement and my wife heard that water heaters can explode and cause substantial damage due to the water. Is this true or is it just a slow leak that usually happens? It's located right next to a drain, so that should help.
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Author:
hj (AZ)
It can start with a very slow small leak, or rupture spontaneously. There is no way to tell ahead of time.
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Author:
froggydoggy (OH)
So is there anything I can do from a maintenance standpoint to prevent it from rupturing spontaneously, or even the leak? I've head about annual draining of sediment is recommended, but don't know how difficult that is for someone that is not a plumber. Thanks
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Author:
packy (MA)
all though it is a possibility, in all my years i have never seen a water heater rupture sponaneously. i have seen all the rest develop a slow leak which only gets worse over time.
there are devices that you can put under the heater to alert you should a leak develop. some can even shut off the water.
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Author:
hj (AZ)
I had one rupture spontaneously which looked like someone had used a can opener to cut the top between the two water lines.
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Author:
packy (MA)
i didn't say it can't happen. it just said it is pretty rare.
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Author:
hj (AZ)
No, you said you have NEVER seen it happen, but I have.
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Author:
froggydoggy (OH)
Is draining the sediment something I can do to maintain the life or am I introducing more risk that something will go wrong with a 20+ year old water heater? I have no idea how often the water heater was maintained, as we just bought the house last year.
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