We have lived in this house 8-10 years. The natural gas water heater is the
same as when we moved in. One major benefit it has is it is pilot-light
enabled -- it doesn't require electricity. I have taken many hot showers by
candle light when the power has been off 2+ days here in Maryland USA.

What I DON'T want to have happen is come home one day to a flood of water
coming out of the utility room from the water heater after a catastrophic
failure.

Is it a "normal, good" practice to replace a water heater after a certain #
of years, whether or not it is still working fine?

Thanks.

-- Mark

Then be on the lookout for a leak. It should start out small.
That will be the time to replace it.

Mark Jerde wrote in message
...
We have lived in this house 8-10 years. The natural gas water heater is
the
same as when we moved in. One major benefit it has is it is pilot-light
enabled -- it doesn't require electricity. I have taken many hot showers
by
candle light when the power has been off 2+ days here in Maryland USA.

What I DON'T want to have happen is come home one day to a flood of water
coming out of the utility room from the water heater after a catastrophic
failure.

Is it a "normal, good" practice to replace a water heater after a certain
#
of years, whether or not it is still working fine?

Thanks.

-- Mark

"Michael Baugh" wrote in message
.. .
Then be on the lookout for a leak. It should start out small.
That will be the time to replace it.

With all due respect, I wouldn't count on this.

Unfortunately, water heaters sometimes fail catastrophically with no
warning. One of my neighbors across the street came home after a 3 hour
Xmas shopping trip to find the first floor of his house under 2 inches of
water due to the sudden failure of his water heater. It was a real drag
because he had just cashed out most of his equity in a refi to do about $50K
of refurbs and updates to his home (new hardwood flooring...the whole bit).
His homeowner's insurance covered the damage (less his $1500.00 deductible),
but he was expecting to have a lot of family come and stay over for the
holidays. Needless to say, this put a damper (no pun intended) on his
Christmas. He was not a happy camper.

I live in South Texas and we have a problem with lime and other hard water
deposits. As a result, water heaters don't last very long here, unless you
really stay on top of keeping them flushed and the anode(s) replaced as
needed.

I don't know the average life span of a water heater in Maryland. Your
water heater may be just fine, or it may be a ticking time bomb. IMHO, if
you have *any* doubts about it's condition, just replace it. The cost will
most likely be less than the deductible on your homeowner's policy - not to
mention the peace of mind of having dealt with it *before* it turned into an
emergency.

FYI, here's one of my favorite sites regarding water heaters. Lots of good
info here.

http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/

Somewhere on the nameplate it should tell what year it was made.

It would be unusual to replace a heater simply because it is old; but if you
have the cash for it and want to avoid a problem, then there is no reason
not to.
I just replaced a 15 yo heater because the T&P valve had gone bad and I
figured it's time was about up.

My rule of thumb is keep it unless it isn't functioning. Remember that the
design of gas water heaters has changed now and they're more expensive.
Federal Law now requires a sealed combustion chamber as part of the design.


"Mark Jerde" wrote in message
...
We have lived in this house 8-10 years. The natural gas water heater is
the
same as when we moved in. One major benefit it has is it is pilot-light
enabled -- it doesn't require electricity. I have taken many hot showers
by
candle light when the power has been off 2+ days here in Maryland USA.

What I DON'T want to have happen is come home one day to a flood of water
coming out of the utility room from the water heater after a catastrophic
failure.

Is it a "normal, good" practice to replace a water heater after a certain
#
of years, whether or not it is still working fine?

Thanks.

-- Mark

Don't worry about losing your shower in the dark. Unlike furnaces, boilers
and stoves,
standard gas water heaters still come with pilot lights.
--
Peace,
BobJ

("Mike Bittel" wrote in message
...
My rule of thumb is keep it unless it isn't functioning. Remember that
the
design of gas water heaters has changed now and they're more expensive.
Federal Law now requires a sealed combustion chamber as part of the
design.


"Mark Jerde" wrote in message
...
We have lived in this house 8-10 years. The natural gas water heater is
the
same as when we moved in. One major benefit it has is it is pilot-light
enabled -- it doesn't require electricity. I have taken many hot
showers
by
candle light when the power has been off 2+ days here in Maryland USA.

What I DON'T want to have happen is come home one day to a flood of
water
coming out of the utility room from the water heater after a
catastrophic
failure.

Is it a "normal, good" practice to replace a water heater after a
certain
#
of years, whether or not it is still working fine?

Thanks.

-- Mark

Thanks, everyone. For now I'll keep inspecting the heater.

-- Mark

I replaced a good tank water heater with a gas Aquastar tankless and
kept the old unit inline as a tempering tank, with bypass valves
incase it blows. My savings are maybe 80 % also because I had a
waistfull Electric unit, and travel alot. Only in USA are big tanks
used there are cheaper ways to heat water and people are only now
learning about tankless

m Ransley wrote:
I replaced a good tank water heater with a gas Aquastar tankless and
kept the old unit inline as a tempering tank, with bypass valves
incase it blows. My savings are maybe 80 % also because I had a
waistfull Electric unit, and travel alot. Only in USA are big tanks
used there are cheaper ways to heat water and people are only now
learning about tankless

Thanks. Any good links about tankless water heaters?
Yes, I'll start with www.google.com. g

-- Mark

HD and menards sell Aquastar and the large aquastar is made by Takagi
, Which has a real impressive line of up to 188000 btu tankless with
auto control to apx 30000 btu

"Mark Jerde" wrote in message ...
Thanks, everyone. For now I'll keep inspecting the heater.

-- Mark

For a bit more security, buy a water alarm (~$10 at HD) and put it
under the tank. Won't help if you're away, but if you're home you'll
know before the puddle becomes a lake. I have one by my washer and one
under the water heater.

S

Makes sense. Just to put things in perspective and create
more anxiety, consider the lowly clothes washer hose. I
have never seen an exploding or spraying water tank, but I
have seen a spraying clothes washer hose. If you/wife are
in the habit of never turning the valves off when you are
not washing, you might start and certainly you need to turn
them off any time you are away for an extended period. If
you don't, they will probably be corroded and you might not
be able to turn the all the way off. Damage from a failed
hose is way more likely than damage from a failed water
heater.

Mark Jerde wrote:

Thanks, everyone. For now I'll keep inspecting the heater.

-- Mark

George E. Cawthon wrote:
Makes sense. Just to put things in perspective and create
more anxiety, consider the lowly clothes washer hose. I
have never seen an exploding or spraying water tank, but I
have seen a spraying clothes washer hose. If you/wife are
in the habit of never turning the valves off when you are
not washing, you might start and certainly you need to turn
them off any time you are away for an extended period. If
you don't, they will probably be corroded and you might not
be able to turn the all the way off. Damage from a failed
hose is way more likely than damage from a failed water
heater.

Thanks for reminding me. I didn't mention that the inlet valve to the water
heater *cannot* be turned off. With two teens in the house several times I
tried to shut off the hot water to motivate them to get out of the shower.
eg I screwed the valve both ways multiple times, but it won't close and
shut off the water. (I have broken a valve by trying too hard.)

So I'll watch for water heater leaks AND Lowe's/Home Despot install sales.
g

-- Mark

In article ,
"Mark Jerde" wrote:

George E. Cawthon wrote:
Makes sense. Just to put things in perspective and create
more anxiety, consider the lowly clothes washer hose. I
have never seen an exploding or spraying water tank, but I
have seen a spraying clothes washer hose. If you/wife are
in the habit of never turning the valves off when you are
not washing, you might start and certainly you need to turn
them off any time you are away for an extended period. If
you don't, they will probably be corroded and you might not
be able to turn the all the way off. Damage from a failed
hose is way more likely than damage from a failed water
heater.

Thanks for reminding me. I didn't mention that the inlet valve to the water
heater *cannot* be turned off. With two teens in the house several times I
tried to shut off the hot water to motivate them to get out of the shower.
eg I screwed the valve both ways multiple times, but it won't close and
shut off the water. (I have broken a valve by trying too hard.)

So I'll watch for water heater leaks AND Lowe's/Home Despot install sales.
g

-- Mark



It just so happens that Lowes has a $99 install for hot water heaters,
after rebate, and this deal ends on Jan 18th. I just came from my local
Home Depot in NJ, and they get $250 for a gas wh install.

Steve

Steve wrote:

It just so happens that Lowes has a $99 install for hot water heaters,
after rebate, and this deal ends on Jan 18th. I just came from my
local
Home Depot in NJ, and they get $250 for a gas wh install.

Thanks so much for posting. With the stuck valve and 10+/- years of the
water heater's life while we have lived here, I'm getting quite concerned
for its long-term health. I really don't want to come home to water running
out the garage. Replacement (especially at sale price g) is starting to
make more and more sense.

-- Mark

In article ,
"Mark Jerde" wrote:

We have lived in this house 8-10 years. The natural gas water heater is the
same as when we moved in. One major benefit it has is it is pilot-light
enabled -- it doesn't require electricity. I have taken many hot showers by
candle light when the power has been off 2+ days here in Maryland USA.

What I DON'T want to have happen is come home one day to a flood of water
coming out of the utility room from the water heater after a catastrophic
failure.

Is it a "normal, good" practice to replace a water heater after a certain #
of years, whether or not it is still working fine?

Thanks.

-- Mark



I don't think it is normal practice, but that is exactly what I'm about
to do now. My last hot water heater lasted 8 years, then one day I woke
up and my basement was flooded. It's now 8 years later, and I don't
want to go throught that mess again.

Biggest reason for being worth it:
Since lots of stuff was ruined, we called the insurance company who paid
the claim. My deductible was almost as much as a water heater would
cost, plus after they paid, they raised my rates, plus they only pay for
the damage. You still have to pay for a new water heater.

Overall, it's cheaper to replace every so many years. You decide when
it's convenient to replace, instead of having to replace it within a few
hours after it bursts, and dedicating the next few days to cleanup.

Of course, some people's water heaters just fail, don't bust and flood a
room, and last 15+ years, but with the quality of local water, it
differs for each person. I will say this, and that on my street where
all the houses were built within 8 months of each other, I saw a lot of
AO Smith (we all had these) water heaters left for trash pickup around
the same time. All our water heaters lasted about the same time.

Best of luck to you.

Steve