«Wise old man once explained it to me: There is no difference betwen those
two water heaters, in a physical sense. ... The $100 is simply an extended
warranty»

Wise old man is not so wise. The difference is the warranty length AND the
size/quality of the sacrificial anode that retards the corrosion of the
tank. A longer warrantied gas water heater **will** last longer before it
fails.
--
Peace,
BobJ

"Oscar_Lives" wrote in message
news:Ch3Kb.61093$xX.383084@attbi_s02...

"I-zheet M'drurz" wrote in message
...
On 04 Jan 2004, Daniel Prince wrote:

My understanding is that gas water heaters are made with
glass lined steel tanks and that they usually fail because
the steel rusts out. What I want to know is: How does the
water get to the steel if it is glass lined? Does the glass
lining have holes and/or cracks in it when it is new? Do
holes and/or cracks develop later? If the holes and/or
cracks develop later, how and why do they appear?

A few different ways. Hopefully not. Quite possibly. Leaky
internal/interface plumbing, chemical reactions caused by
things like hard water, calcium buildup, etc.

I have read in this newsgroup that water heaters with 12
year warranties cost about $100 more than heaters with a 6
year warranty.

Wise old man once explained it to me: There is no difference
betwen those two water heaters, in a physical sense. Nothing
except the model number and warranty length. Just like most
things on earth, it's possible to generate mortality tables
and *know* how long a water heater should last. The $100 is
simply an extended warranty. It's all in the tables.


Tom Pendergast


How does hard water cause a water heater tank to leak?

How does calcium cause a water heater tank to leak?

What chemical reaction are you speaking of?