Originally Posted by Gebo
Obviously, it doesn't seem like many have had their water heater leak and run all over their basement floor. Mine lasted 20 years and then filled my basement with water because nobody was at home to shut the water off. Talking about a mess....
There was no rust. I drained it every year. The bottom split open.
I would definitely replace it. 25 years it has served the house well.
Now, my plumber who came and replaced my propane heater told me how their warranty worked. It you wanted the longer warranty, he had a roll of stickers that he would peel off one and stick it to the same heater he was installing. No difference in
the heaters whatsoever. He said you were merely buying an extended warranty. Now this was about 4 years ago so things may be different now.
That's how all mine fail. But mine are concrete floors and there's basically nothing down there so nothing gets damaged when they leak. They normally don't blow out, usually it starts out as a small leak and you get a puddle of water in the basement. You could go nuts and install a gas and water shut off valve, basically you'd need a pan for the water heater and a sensor in the pan for water if it leaks and that connects to the gas/water shut off when water is detected.
The plumber may carry a brand that's basically a 12 year heater but is sold with 6, 9 or 12 year warranties. But if you buy the ones at Home Depot/Lowes, those really are cheaper 6, 9 or 12 year warranty water heaters with a smaller anode rod. Easier for a plumber to just carry one type of water heater than a store which can carry multiple types.