On Jun 18, 3:03?pm, Phisherman wrote:
On Sun, 17 Jun 2007 17:21:49 -0700, JB wrote:
My 40 gal gas water heater is about 13 yrs old. Water is hot and it
works fine. The only sign of age is exterior paint starting to flake
off with rust underneath. (Its kind of strange...the flake bits are
perfectly round...like tiny polka dots.)

What is the average life of a gas water heater? I don't want to
replace a perfectly good heater with lots of life left, but I don't
want to play Russian roulette and come home from work one day to a
swimming pool in my basement!

Life is from 8 to 30 years, perhaps 15 years is the average. Soft
water, regular maintenance, and cooler temperatures will extend the
life expectancy.

What are the signs that its time for it to go?

Leakage or not heating. It is a good idea to install a drip pan with
a hose to the outside (mine feeds into the A/C drain). Also not a bad
idea to install a moisture alarm and keep goods up off the floor.





THanks!

--Jeff- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

around here 8 to 12 years, and 12 is very unusual, 10 is lkikely
average for good tank. realize they come with different warranties. 2
year, 6 year, 8 year, 12 year. the 12 year tanks price is so high it
subsudizes those who need a replacement and still have the warranty
paperwork. silting up is more likely as tanks age too.

now take a average 40 gallon tank that lasts 10 years. say it cost 500
bucks installed.

thats only 50 bucks a year, less than a buck a week, not worth a lot
of worry.

regular tanks are about 34,000 BTU. I prefer the 75 thousand BTU ones
for faster recovery. They tend to be made better, and do cost a bit
more but are well worth the extra expense