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Mike Hartigan

In article ,
says...
"Mike Hartigan" wrote in message
.net...

The life expectancy of a mainstream consumer type heater
is, perhaps ten years. I have two, which means that I can expect
such a puddle an average of once every five years.

This is not likely.
1. You will get longer life out of your water heaters
if you flush them out (removing precipitate) every summer.

While I understand, agree with, and, indeed, practice that, it is
only postponing the inevitable. My question is not how to extend the
life of my tank, rather it is how to minimize the damage if and when
it ultimately fails.

2. Leaks are only one form of failure. Others include
deterioration of replaceable parts (e.g. heating elements)
and irreplaceable parts.

Granted. Leaks, however, are a real possibility. To suggest
otherwise is to invite the very problem I'm trying to prevent. With
one exception, every tank I've owned over the past 35 years has
notified me of its death by peeing on the floor.

3. If you really believed every heater will leak in its 10th
year you could simply replace them at nine-year intervals,
thus avoiding all leaks.

That would work if the ten year thing was consistent/predictable.
Alas, the nature of these beasts is such that they are neither.
That's why we mortals need a symptom to tell us that something's
wrong.