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.

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