water heater - 20 yrs. Replace or keep till dies?

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Youppi

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Ottawa, Ontario
It came with the new house I moved in 20 years ago. This is a 50 gallon gas power vent heater (Rheem/Rudd) and no visible evidence of leaking or rust. When I flushed the tank last year (for the first time!) there was no sediment. I never replaced the magnesium anode rod yet sice I never heard of doing this until this year after reading up on this. I suppose the municipal water here (Ottawa, ON) is soft enough so that water heaters are not as affected as places with hard water.

I figure its about near end of life when I look at statistics of water heaters longevity but visually there is nothing to indicate that this is the case. Should I just replace it anyways?
 
I too have a 20 year old water heater/ I have replaced the anodes once and flush it annually. When they go, they go with little warning. Nonetheless, I'm keeping mine til it fails. I should let you know I do keep things til its entire service life is depleted for the exception of critical parts that could cost more if they break or if it is a safety issue. I have a drain right by the tank (like all should) so if it starts to leak, damage would be mitigated. When I go on vacation, I shut it off, both gas and water supply. I know I'm on borrowed time, but I'm not losing any sleep over it.
 
Problem is things like water heaters tend to have a nasty habit of failing at the worst time, like Christmas eve in a snow storm. Then one gets raked over the coals for an emergency service call etc, whilst the wife curses you out for letting it go so long.
laugh.gif
 
I also like to replace things only when they fail. It's entirely possible your water heater will last 50 years with good care.

It's also possible your brand new, uber-efficient water heater will be made from recycled, Chinese steel, prone to corrosion and will fail/leak well before your well-cared-for and properly inspected older unit would.

The good news is that most water heater leaks are not catastrophic. They tend to start seeping, then dripping, then squirting a small line of water. Most homeowners catch the problem well before it causes a disaster.

From a financial point of view, it's always financially sound to use 100% of the value of every purchase with every item. For example the cheapest car is always the one kept until it's totaled. Depending on driving habits and rust, that can be quite a long time.

The alarm is a great idea.
 
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I would change the anode, inspect the burner and measure the hot water output. It should be written in the manual somewhere, but a 50 gallon tank should have somewhere between 80-100 gallons of hot water output in the first hour of operation. If that time is much shorter than specified, then it's a sign of either major scale deposits, poor burner output or both. I would start shopping for a new one then.
 
I replaced my 17 year old model because of the anodes and feared it would leak.
My new one won't make it 5 years. Quality is nothing like the old one.
 
Very true! Same for well pumps.


Originally Posted By: Rock_Hudstone

Problem is things like water heaters tend to have a nasty habit of failing at the worst time, like Christmas eve in a snow storm. Then one gets raked over the coals for an emergency service call etc, whilst the wife curses you out for letting it go so long.
laugh.gif
 
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
I would change the anode, inspect the burner and measure the hot water output. It should be written in the manual somewhere, but a 50 gallon tank should have somewhere between 80-100 gallons of hot water output in the first hour of operation. If that time is much shorter than specified, then it's a sign of either major scale deposits, poor burner output or both. I would start shopping for a new one then.


Why? If the HWH is producing enough hot water for the needs of the users why replace it? I know my HWH doesn't work like it did when it was new but my wife and I are empty nesters and our 70 gallon unit works well enough for our needs.
 
Originally Posted By: Youppi
It came with the new house I moved in 20 years ago. This is a 50 gallon gas power vent heater (Rheem/Rudd) and no visible evidence of leaking or rust. When I flushed the tank last year (for the first time!) there was no sediment. I never replaced the magnesium anode rod yet sice I never heard of doing this until this year after reading up on this. I suppose the municipal water here (Ottawa, ON) is soft enough so that water heaters are not as affected as places with hard water.

I figure its about near end of life when I look at statistics of water heaters longevity but visually there is nothing to indicate that this is the case. Should I just replace it anyways?



Most plumbers I've asked say don't flush it. Causes issues. But I want to. See whats going on. Is it an easy process?
 
Originally Posted By: Leo99
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
I would change the anode, inspect the burner and measure the hot water output. It should be written in the manual somewhere, but a 50 gallon tank should have somewhere between 80-100 gallons of hot water output in the first hour of operation. If that time is much shorter than specified, then it's a sign of either major scale deposits, poor burner output or both. I would start shopping for a new one then.


Why? If the HWH is producing enough hot water for the needs of the users why replace it? I know my HWH doesn't work like it did when it was new but my wife and I are empty nesters and our 70 gallon unit works well enough for our needs.


II simply described a way to determine the condition of the water heater to counter some posts suggesting its doom is totally unpredictable.
 
At the moment the HWH is producing plenty of hot water for my needs. No wife here so no risk of causing issues if leaving it till it dies.

I will inspect the anode to see what it looks like (have to wonder what 20 years will do to it). Also the leak alarm is a great idea... I will get one and also get quotes for a new one so I am ready for when it does go.

Thanks for all your advice!
 
What make is your 70 gallon version? Thanks


Originally Posted By: Leo99
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
I would change the anode, inspect the burner and measure the hot water output. It should be written in the manual somewhere, but a 50 gallon tank should have somewhere between 80-100 gallons of hot water output in the first hour of operation. If that time is much shorter than specified, then it's a sign of either major scale deposits, poor burner output or both. I would start shopping for a new one then.


Why? If the HWH is producing enough hot water for the needs of the users why replace it? I know my HWH doesn't work like it did when it was new but my wife and I are empty nesters and our 70 gallon unit works well enough for our needs.
 
I replaced my hot water heater last month as it was 18 years old and it's located in the house. It wasn't leaking but it was giving me concern over it failing and flooding the house when I wasn't home. I bought a new Rheem heater with a 10 year warranty from Home Depot and a friend and I installed it.
 
Most HWH failures involve leaks and like radiator leaks these will often seal themselves with sediment before any catastrophic failure. This happy state of affairs is a warning that you need to plan the replacement very soon.
A twenty year old unit is probably a better built piece than what you're likely to find these days regardless of price.
I got less than that out of the last one I put in to replace an old HWH that had developed a leak.
Don't waste money on fancy electronics either.
Simple is good and natural gas is now dirt cheap and will likely remain so for the foreseeable life of any water heater.
 
I bought a new but damaged Sears gas water heater in 1985 and replaced it in 2010 after it started leaking. During the time I had it I did nothing to it at all. Just hope my Sears replacement water heater will be as good. Be prepared to pay much more for your next new water heater.
 
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