mm wrote:
Someone here recommended putting bricks under an electric water
heater, so the bottom won't rust out, I think it was.

Do many people do this?
Do you think it is important?

Is it very common for a bottom to rust out so much there are problems?
The pan around my last water heater had an inch or two of water in it
once in a great while, but it was bone dry 99% of the time. There are
small rust marks, but just on the surface.

I have height issues, so was thinking of putting in 3 or 4 tiles,
maybe a quarter inch high, like bathroom wall tiles maybe. Would that
be high enough to accomplish what bricks are for?

Hey, 1/4" tiles don't cost nothing! I'd do it. As for whether it works,
consider how much water would have to be on the floor to reach the bottom of
the heater. Say you're in a 20'x30' basement.

..25 x 240 x 360 = 21,600 cu in = ~93 gallons.