Paul M. Eldridge wrote:
Hi Kevin,

Thirty years for an electric hot water tank puts it well beyond its
natural life. Average life expectancy is ten to twelve years and in
areas with exceptionally hard water, five to seven is more the norm.
I would be inclined to replace it now before it begins to leak.

Cheers,
Paul

On 29 Jan 2007 10:28:29 -0800, "Kevin G."
wrote:

My 30-year-old 80-gallon electric water heater has begun to not work
very well. When taking a shower, after about five (5) minutes, the
water begins to lose its heat, and I have to turn the cold water
almost completely off in order for the water to remain warm.

The thermostat on my water heater is set to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
I have troubleshooted online and I've read where the dip tube could
be cracked or have some sort of other problem. I just recently
drained out my water heater to remove sediment that was built up,
thinking that this might fix the problem, but the same problem still
exists. I don't think that the previous home owner ever did this.

Is it worth the money to call a repair person to investigate the
problem, or should I shell out the bucks for a new one?

Thanks for any advice,
Kevin

Ask around among your neighbors. If you don't find any older, I would
plan sooner than later to replace it. That is about it in most areas.

Water conditions and usage as well as the temperature setting all come
into play, but they all had to be fairly good or you would not have made it
that far.


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit