On 26 Mar 2007 14:45:37 -0700, "Trail Blazer"
wrote:

My gas hot water heater is 25yrs. old and works fine but looks its age
with a little rust around the bottom, should I replace it soon or wait
until it actually fails. How dangerous is it?

I was told that when they leaked it usually started slow, but in my
case I thought it was the AC condensate which had already leaked on
the floor, and I thought it was taking days to dry, so I didn't
recognize it as a WH problem.

When you get a new one, put a pan under it and connect the pan to a
drain so you don't have to worry about this the next time, and in
addition you can keep the wh until it breaks.

I don't see that causing a frantic rush. You can decide in advance
who you want to deal with and pretty much what you want to buy, and
anyone can go a couple days or more without hot water. One can wash
somewhere else or take a spongebath with water heated on the stove.
How are we ever going to fight Al Queda if we can't go a few days
without hot water?