Last night got home from a long trip, and daughter said there was no hot water. Went outside and the pilot was out. Replaced the ThermoCoupler and the thing fired up. Has been a while since I had the cover off. Some weeds grew in. That drain that turns to allow water to hook to hose and drain,was dripping a little. Could not seem to tighten enough to stop the very slow leak. Might be time for a new one. This was back in 1985 when I bought this one.

Any things to look for when buying one. I guess it would just have to fit in this Aluminium Cabinet that it is now in.

Thanks.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2007 11:15AM by Microman.

You've gotten more years out of it than most would. I give 'em about 15-20 years- 10-15 for electrics.

The external drain faucet can be replaced relatively easily.

Note that it "might" be time to think about a tankless hot water heater. I assume you live where it doesn't freeze...

15 years is what I consider to be an average life span. Maintaining them gets you a few more years.

I never buy the cheapest nor most expensive, but do buy name brands..

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Ed (modelamac)

I think I will just put an OUT OF ORDER
sticker on my head and call it a day.

I've had contractors tell me that 7 to 12 years is expected, up to 15 is not atypical.

Yours is over 20; it's time to replace it I would say. Not just because of age and problems, but for better efficiency.

Do a search on the forum for tankless hot water heaters; lots of threads have been created on that subject. Opinion is mixed.

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Covered in some detail over the last week:

[forums.macresource.com]

[forums.macresource.com]

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"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan

Our lasted about 12 I think. But, I'm glad. The newer tech is better in many ways. At least from MY old, crappy, contractor grade stuff that made my house affordable.

Replaced a 24 year old model earlier this year.

(And yeah, people on this forum sure love to talk about water heaters for some reason.)

My PITBULL attacked my WATER HEATER right in front of my iPhone!

OMG ! Did Paris get out of jail in time to see it on YOuTube ?

In-laws have an electric one nearly 40 years old.

They vacuum out sediment from the bottom with a wet/dry vac.

And check the sacrifical anode (replace when needed) regularly.

I'm sure the elements have also been replaced.

Check [www.waterheaterrescue.com]

Short answer - Branford-White and Kenmore. (AO Smith used to be good but then moved everything to Mexico. Avoid everything from Lowes and Home Depot - especially Lowes)

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“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

The German word for contraceptive is “Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel”. By the time you finished saying that, it’s too late

If properly maintained they can last almost indefinitely, but most people don't bother with the maintenance and then pay the big $$ when the tank bursts and floods their home. Most tank heaters built today have no better efficiency than those built in the past (especially if you add a water heater blanket to the outside and heat traps to the inlet/outlet), so that's not a reason to trade them in. If you want efficiency, then you need to do a solar add-on to your existing tank (33% fed tax credit) or get real expensive and buy a condensing and/or powered vent tank heater.

Tankless water heaters can be more efficient than cheapo tank heaters in some situations, but not all, and are way less efficient than condensing water heaters. Tankless also are very expensive and require new gaslines/ventlines.

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"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2007 03:24PM by davester.

Microman congratulations on your long lasting water heater. It is now time for a new one.

I would recommend a Bradford White 50 gal high recovery.

[www.bradfordwhite.com]

This should fit most every residential need while maintaining efficiency and comfort.

To answer your question a WH could last 10 years if the water is good.

Good luck with your replacement.

I don't know anything about water heaters, but I noticed that the landlord is obliged to replace the water heater within 90 days after the warranty expires, and I believe the warranty is 10 years. This is the rule here in this condo association.

A coworker across the street had her condo unit flooded when the water heater bursted on the 3rd floor (she lives on the first floor) Dry wall and carpet gone. Light fixtures hanging everywhere, township inspectors, insurance adjusters, lawyers, etc. The full menu. you get the idea.

If this your own house and the water heater is outside, then it's probably OK to run it as long as possible, but if this is in an apartment building where it could flood other people's homes, then do replace it regularly.

The one in my house is now about 23 years old. Electric. Seems to work just fine, although I haven't checked the anode yet to see how it is holding up. I was expecting to replace it right away but after reading up a bit I decided the was not much point. My only concern would be if it did just bust open one day, but it is in the basement (concrete floor) so that wouldn't be too disasterous.

>Avoid everything from Lowes and Home Depot - especially Lowes)

Yes especially Whirlpools from Lowe's, total junk. Circuit boards with User adjustable
settings don't belong on electric Water Heaters in my opinion, first one lasted 3 years. The
old element mounted thermostats were just fine for the last 50 years, why change a good
thing. How many people actually turn their water heater back while on vacation anyway?
What could you possibly save a couple bucks?

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Grateful11