"THO" wrote in message
...
In article . com,
wrote:
The wind blowing the pilot light out would not cause water to be
released from the relief valve. One big question here is how old is
the unit? If it's older than 10 years, and depending on where it's
Try not to laugh ... its a copper tank model that is 24 years old. 
A copper tank is worth keeping IMO. Mine is a glass-lined steel tank and
it's going on 28 years old. Replace the anode every couple of years and
you'll go well beyond the usual lifetime of a steel tank.
It's kind of annoying to hear people say "they only last 10-15years anyhow"
when the problems leading to such a short life are easily and cheaply
fixable. (drain the tank yearly to get rid of sediment and check/replace the
anode every few years)