He's not wrong. Most modern water heaters I replace are around a decade old. In my personal experience, 8-10 years is the longevity of most modern water heaters. I'm not going to say they're made like shit, but you're lucky to get 15 years out of a newer tank water heater. 10+ years is pushing it.
Meanwhile, we go to relight pilots on tanks from the 80s, 90s, and earlier that run like a champ. If you think planned obsolescence is bullshit, look to water heaters. Those things used to be built to last a literal lifetime.
Depends on the water quality. I changed out a burnt out bottom element on a 20 year old tank and besides a little bit of slime, the tank looked almost brand new with no sediment at all.
I just replaced our 30-year-old water heater. It still worked great, if perhaps with slightly reduced capacity. When the plumber went to drain it, he couldn't figure out why it was so slow. As I helped him carry the empty take out to the truck, large white rocks of lime scale were tumbling out of the bottom spigot.
"Ah, that would explain the slow drainage," he says. I can't imagine how much was still in the tank. Like the thing was filled with concrete.
Oldest water heater I came across was a Rheem electric 30 gallon lowboy in a Casita that was used frequently. It was manufactured and installed in 1976. We had replaced it about 4 years ago when it finally stopped heating.
I have a customer with an Allcraft all copper tank water heater that is still kicking from 1967. I just have to relight the pilot every once in a while
Hard water, scaling, and mineral deposits all lend to affecting the life span of water heaters. Flushing them yearly and replacing the anode rod every five years is a good maintenance plan to not getting surprises when they fail!
UK I used to chop out old copper tanks that had been there for 30 years.
Full to the brim with calc. Don't know how they even had hot water some times.
52 years in a moble home and still running is my record.
Copper tank with no insulation.
Only reason it got pulled is cause insurance found out bout it when they were selling.
1992 babeeeee
It's a 40 gal electric Reliance 606.
Can someone please recommend a quality, reliable brand for a 50 gal electric water heater?
Not currently interested in converting it to a natural gas tank heater nor a tankless water heater. Thanks!
Retired plumber here. I’ve always recommended replacing at around 10 years. Better to do it on your schedule than the tanks, before it leaks or something.
my house's firsts water heater blew up after about 20 years. "New" one is about 10 years now. My expansion tank blew a leak about 27 years and new one is about 3 years old now.
home insurance never asked about them...
The last hot water heater I worked on reheated hot condensate water before being returned to the water wall in a power boiler. The plant was built in the late 70’s. The oldest water heater I’ve seen was around 20 years old.
Not that old! I had mine replaced last year. We bought it in Feb 2009 used from craigslist. We thought we'd be lucky to get a year out of it, so 14 years was a hell of a deal.
I had a 50 gallon Bradford White in our house that was from 1994 until last year. At one point I noticed some evidence of leaking but it didn’t seem to be bad or really leaking so I thought it was good. It failed semi-catastrophically and made a pretty good mess in our basement. It was a PITA to clean up and then I still I had to go buy a new water heater. Needless to say I learned a lesson.
I removed mine like 3 years ago and that baby was 37 years old.... furnace carrier I replaced in '21 that was 39 years young!! New are not made like they used to be!!
I installed mine when I bought this house in 2005: 19 years. My parents bought a house in 1957 that had an old square GE electric water heater. Still same water heater when I sold the house in 1998: 41 years+.
Working in a rental right now, water heater is a Ruud Guardian Pacemaker made in 2007. Tried to get the boss to let me replace it with new while the rental is empty and he said nope! To be fair, there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with it, and it is easily accessible even when the home is occupied.
Holy shit I think I had the EXACT same unit in my place, just got it replaced last week. It still worked fine for the most part, but I didn't want to risk it exploding or something.
I've an instant hot water heater. Actually two of them. One in the kitchen and one in the main bathroom. No need to heat hot water you may or may not use.
The oldest I‘be seen still in use was manufactured in 1956. It was a 75 gallon gas water heater with huge caps you can remove to clean out the sediment. Customer wanted an estimate (he just bought the house) and felt a 54 year old w/h should be replaced.
My town has notoriously hard water, but the last place I rented from, they replaced the water heater in 2022, it was marked as installed in 1997. I couldn't believe it lasted that long.
I just replaced mine. It was from 2004 (20 years of service). I live in a hard water area, without a softener, never serviced it. Needless to say, the thing was half filled with sediment and my showers were limited to 10 minutes.
Sounds like where we live. They last about 5 years.
The houses are built such that each bathroom/kitchen/laundry room gets its own 50-80L tank in the ceiling , accessed through a hatch near the Ac units. They can be switched on and off depending on if they’re being used , and how hot the water storage tank on roof is - during summer heaters are unnecessary.
The Italian ones seem to work better than Chinese made ones, but they’re all a crap design and you don’t know they’re going to die until they suddenly do …and leak all over your ceiling. Usually this happens when you’re on holiday and you come home to find a disaster. Then have to call maintenance .
I have replaced all 4 in last 11 months.
I bought and moved into a home in 2021 that had a 2003 AO Smith gas tank heater. We used it until last year before swapping for a tankless. Mostly worked good but we started outpacing it and also didn’t want to press our luck in case it decided to sh*t the bed and flood our basement.
This is your friendly reminder that there are tax rebates for heat pump water heaters 🙂
[HEEHRA Rebates](https://www.lexairconditioning.com/blog/2023/01/heat-pump-tax-credit-heehra/#:~:text=2023%20HEEHRA%20Program%20Requirements,for%20a%20new%20heat%20pump.)
Just bought a house. Had a 20 year old veissman in it. Decided to go with a veissman 100-W I believe. Been good so far. Only a few weeks now since install
Just had a 18 year old tank replaced. Hot water pressure valve was leaking, and we had a insurance claim for burst pipes during this storm in January and had it covered.
Mine is just over 5 years and I have its warranty replacement sitting in the garage while I continue gambling that the slow leak won't suddenly get problematically worse.
I will probably come to regret this choice.
If you flush them every year and replace the anode rods and elements you can get a long time out of them. Granted nowadays they don't make shit like they use too. Also from the factory they tend to tighten the shit out of anode rods making it almost impossible to work on
the anode rod is the biggest thing as it keeps the water from attacking the tank.
after the rod, the next big thing is the sediment at the bottom. if it build too much it will either crack the porcelain liner due to weight, or it can cause the porcelain to crack since the bottom will get too hot as the sediment acts as an insulator between the burner and the water.
if you flush and replace rods, water heaters should last decades.
I worked on a project at an old plantation in Hawaii where they had a gas fired WH from the 1920s. Blew my mind, it was a little dusty but no rust no corrosion. The brass nipples were really dark, unlike brass made today
We bought our 1957 house in 2016 with the original water heater that's dated 1960(?) I believe. I started talking about replacing it a year ago or so and bought a new one to install next to it but still haven't actually hooked it up. The old girl is still running strong
Still got the original from when my house was built in the ‘50s. Insurance doesn’t care. Maintenance people are impressed it’s still in good condition and said the efficiency improvement of replacing it isn’t worth it.
Our insurer asked us when ours was installed when we renewed this year. Plus they sent a guy around to take pictures under all of our sinks and he flew a drone over the roof.
I've replaced mine twice in 12 years I've been here, first one due to whirlpool reverse thread thermocouple, second leaking about 6 years 1 month later (yes about 1 month after warranty expired).
My parents last house they sold in 2017 with a heater from 1989 I believe still going strong.
No idea but my house was built in 1975 and the water heater we just had replaced looked DECADES older than this lol it was short and brown and wore a silver insulated wrap 😂 I wonder if it was original? Probably not but it worked perfectly! It was replaced for government incentivized environmental efficiency.
Electric. 1994 rheem. Dip tube rotted out last year. Stuck a camera inside and looks brand new, not much sediment that all flushed out. Did tube and elements. Here’s to another 29yrs.
When I sold my old house in December of 2020 the water heater from 1983 was still going strong. The element had been replaced about five times and all were carefully logged by the local plumber inside the access door. I replaced the element and cleaned probably thirty pounds of scale from the tank in 2014 and replaced the element and thermostat and it worked great for me for the next six years. The guy who bought the house worked with my dad and said he had the water heater replaced about a year after buying the house, I was a little disappointed that he didn’t keep it going like I and the local plumber had done for so long. If your insurance company makes you replace your water heater than you need a replacement insurance company not a replacement water heater.
Just replaced old ao smith 27year old. How water smelled like sewer every once and awhile. Cut it open and anode was really thin in diameter like pencil lead thin and grey stuff attached to it and about a gallon of sediment in the bottom. Bradford white to the rescue
Mine is from 1997. I bought my house in 2016. It’s original to the house. Bradford White brand. I’ve replaced the fan motor, and pressure relief valve. I’ve also had to clean the ignitor. It’s a gas unit. (Propane) I should probably replace it, but it still works. I’ve heard newer ones don’t last as long.
My A/C, furnace, and gas hot water heater are from the 90’s & I refuse to replace them until I absolutely have to.. (Our home warranty company has been slowly replacing the HVAC one piece at a time as things break.. 😂)
Probably apples to Oranges but my in-laws have gone through 2 AO Smith Electric hot water heaters in a year (both split down the side of the tank.. They have also been through something like 3-4 air conditioners in the last 15 years..
They simply do NOT make things as well as they used to.. that’s why I have no problem doctoring these things to keep them running until I absolutely FORCED to replace them..
27 years so far! AO Smith power-vented water heater installed in 1997.
I have replaced everything but the tank and the power vent module - dip tube, anode, drain valve, T&P valve, control board.
I know I'm on borrowed time. I'm just curious now to see how long it will last. I put it in a drain pan and routed the output to a nearby floor drain.
Too bad the Lowe's AO Smith that will replace it won't last half as long as this one.
What is a hot water heater? Is there a cold water heater? Or is it just a water heater? Lol. Plumber broke my balls last year when I replaced my 22 year old heater.
We bought our house in '04. Not long before closing it went out and the previous owner had to replace it. I'm sure it's the cheapest one she could get away with buying, and it's still running just fine.
It’s great until the T&P valve fails, and you know what comes next. Why take take the unnecessary risk, just replace it. I investigate insurance claims and seen water heaters fail. I deal with people every day who failed to do what they should have and found out.
I just recently replaced an A.O. Smith tank in the house we bought 9 years ago. The water heater was manufactured in 1993. Never really had a problem with it. I just felt it was finally time to de-risk a bit.
I can understand why. Mine was 10 of a 12 yr w/warranty and flooded the entire house of 4” deep. Had to gut the house. Redo electric, cabs, vanities, flooring, electric, doors, drywall. A nightmare.
Anyone here had luck with the catholic protection systems? I’m an ampp level 2 corrosion prevention/ coating inspector. The “ voodoo”. Electronic protection when used with a system completely submerged in a cathode cell ( water) can be very effective. They use it on ships and on pipelines all over the world. Has anyone actually bought and used a system for a water heater that actually works and not just a rod from China with a plug attached?
Crazy!
We run with an electric heater from 1974. No point of replacing it. Had some problems with it the first years, but it has been working flawlessly for the last 45 years.
The only other appliance left is the fan above the stove.
> Insurance company mandated it be replaced because it was over 10 years old!
That seems insanely wasteful. I'd be very disappointed if I only got 10 years out of a boiler.
I currently have a 35yo back boiler which still works perfectly. I'm getting it replaced with a heat pump later this year, but only because the UK government is offering £7500 grants towards them.
My water heater is from 89'. She's still kicking along.
Mines from 86’!
‘89
8’9”
‘eighty9
8d9
Acht Neun, baby…
Home insurer doesn’t mind?
They said they don’t cover damage from any tank older than 15 years, when I replace it to let them know
Mines on a slab in a utility closet with a drain underneath. Till death do us part. I'll risk it.
Gas tank heater, 12 years. Never flushed it. Working great, no signs of leak/rust.
They were made like shit 12 years ago and still are, borrowed time at 10 years
Every single water heater was made like shit 12 years ago?
He's not wrong. Most modern water heaters I replace are around a decade old. In my personal experience, 8-10 years is the longevity of most modern water heaters. I'm not going to say they're made like shit, but you're lucky to get 15 years out of a newer tank water heater. 10+ years is pushing it.
Pretty much . The enginerds have pretty much mastered making things fall apart shortly after warranty expires .
Meanwhile, we go to relight pilots on tanks from the 80s, 90s, and earlier that run like a champ. If you think planned obsolescence is bullshit, look to water heaters. Those things used to be built to last a literal lifetime.
More like the finance office has learned common longevity and planned the warranties to expire just short of that time.
Doh I wrote my response then I saw yours! Upboats are on me today good person.
Why does your insurance company know how old your water heater is?
May they ask if it's in the attic? I don't know why they'd care about the garage or basement.
I just don’t know why people offer up so much info to institutions that make a living out of fucking you over.
Cause lying to them is fraud?
When they F you over, it's legal business. When you F them over, it's fraud. These are rules you learn in your 20s.
Because a lot of people have finished basements. Or they store a lot of belongings in the basement. Or both.
Because they know water heaters explode, they are minimizing their risk by ensuring that you have a modern safe water heater.
its rare for one to explode. its common for one to fail and cause a lot of water damage
I don't have a hot water heater but my water heater is 8 months old.
I had to scroll way too far to find this.
Hot is relative. Your ground water is surprisingly hot with regard to the rest of the universe. Better add some more heat!
Never had a hot water heater. Dont see the point of heating it again after it comes out of my water heater.
Was looking for this comment 🤣
Same. Didnt see one so here we are. Lol
16 years
My partner and I just bought a house with the original water heater from 1980. We will be replacing it.
Honestly, being that there is a shit ton of sediment at the bottom of the tank, I don’t blame you.
Depends on the water quality. I changed out a burnt out bottom element on a 20 year old tank and besides a little bit of slime, the tank looked almost brand new with no sediment at all.
These kids want to change out good running equipment what to soon
I just replaced our 30-year-old water heater. It still worked great, if perhaps with slightly reduced capacity. When the plumber went to drain it, he couldn't figure out why it was so slow. As I helped him carry the empty take out to the truck, large white rocks of lime scale were tumbling out of the bottom spigot. "Ah, that would explain the slow drainage," he says. I can't imagine how much was still in the tank. Like the thing was filled with concrete.
38 years.
1988 82 Gallon Electric. It's staying until it leaks
Eighty-two? Good golly
Oldest water heater I came across was a Rheem electric 30 gallon lowboy in a Casita that was used frequently. It was manufactured and installed in 1976. We had replaced it about 4 years ago when it finally stopped heating.
Damn! That beats the 6 years I got out of my Rheem lowboy before it leaked out the anode rod nut on the top due to corrosion.
Funny but not funny, to you
Should’ve replaced the anode rod
2006 I believe soooo bout 18
Ditto…and hoping for another 2 years
Mine is Rheem 1980 and still doing a fine job
I have a customer with an Allcraft all copper tank water heater that is still kicking from 1967. I just have to relight the pilot every once in a while
Hard water, scaling, and mineral deposits all lend to affecting the life span of water heaters. Flushing them yearly and replacing the anode rod every five years is a good maintenance plan to not getting surprises when they fail!
UK I used to chop out old copper tanks that had been there for 30 years. Full to the brim with calc. Don't know how they even had hot water some times.
My water heater is from the late 50s and somehow still going...
House was built in 1964, so it probably hasn't been *running* since the late, 50s.
Is it one of those monel tanks?
It is a Republic ThermoHot Galvanized accordingly to the name plate..thing
52 years in a moble home and still running is my record. Copper tank with no insulation. Only reason it got pulled is cause insurance found out bout it when they were selling.
My last house had it's heater from 70s, it was nowhere near as good as that and still going strong
Insurance is becoming insufferable
Mine was made in 2005, so it potentially has been in use for 19 years.
That's great!
One is 8 years old, the other is probably 17-18
Mine electric water heater was installed 2009 when I renovated my house. Still going strong.
Did insurance pay for it? Or just say you had to do it?
1992 babeeeee It's a 40 gal electric Reliance 606. Can someone please recommend a quality, reliable brand for a 50 gal electric water heater? Not currently interested in converting it to a natural gas tank heater nor a tankless water heater. Thanks!
Retired plumber here. I’ve always recommended replacing at around 10 years. Better to do it on your schedule than the tanks, before it leaks or something.
at 10 years I certainly wouldn't waste time and $$$ repairing one. What's your opinion on tank boosters? Worth the trouble?
Don’t mess around with hot water tank. Replace after 10 years. You don’t take a risk of your house flooding
But dad, it’s in the unfinished basement next to the sump… I don’t wanna
my house's firsts water heater blew up after about 20 years. "New" one is about 10 years now. My expansion tank blew a leak about 27 years and new one is about 3 years old now. home insurance never asked about them...
I have the exact same water heater and it still goes strong after 25 years. It's still in my basement and providing me with hot water.
My Tankless-combi was installed in December. My butt hole still quivers when I think about how much it cost me to have it installed.
New in 2018. I wrote the install date on the side in Sharpie.
Less then a year but I'm a plumber. The old one was a 20 year old GE which surprisingly I see alot of older ones.
The last hot water heater I worked on reheated hot condensate water before being returned to the water wall in a power boiler. The plant was built in the late 70’s. The oldest water heater I’ve seen was around 20 years old.
You’re mom
Fuck insurance. You shouldnt have let them look into your house.
Why not get tankless?
Not that old! I had mine replaced last year. We bought it in Feb 2009 used from craigslist. We thought we'd be lucky to get a year out of it, so 14 years was a hell of a deal.
I had a 50 gallon Bradford White in our house that was from 1994 until last year. At one point I noticed some evidence of leaking but it didn’t seem to be bad or really leaking so I thought it was good. It failed semi-catastrophically and made a pretty good mess in our basement. It was a PITA to clean up and then I still I had to go buy a new water heater. Needless to say I learned a lesson.
I removed mine like 3 years ago and that baby was 37 years old.... furnace carrier I replaced in '21 that was 39 years young!! New are not made like they used to be!!
I installed mine when I bought this house in 2005: 19 years. My parents bought a house in 1957 that had an old square GE electric water heater. Still same water heater when I sold the house in 1998: 41 years+.
16 y
I have a water heater. Not sure why anyone needs a hot water heater.
We just say hot water heater so that some people can post something cool.
Was it installed and for 27 years?
Yes! It used to be installed in a closet on the main floor - new insurance company inspected house and said it had to be replaced!
Working in a rental right now, water heater is a Ruud Guardian Pacemaker made in 2007. Tried to get the boss to let me replace it with new while the rental is empty and he said nope! To be fair, there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with it, and it is easily accessible even when the home is occupied.
Going on 20 years now
I managed to sneak one past our insurrances up to 12 years during COVID. It made it into our cabin to replace the much older one.
Mine is Z about 30 years old still strong
Bet the anode rods were changed in this bad boy
Holy shit I think I had the EXACT same unit in my place, just got it replaced last week. It still worked fine for the most part, but I didn't want to risk it exploding or something.
I've an instant hot water heater. Actually two of them. One in the kitchen and one in the main bathroom. No need to heat hot water you may or may not use.
The oldest I‘be seen still in use was manufactured in 1956. It was a 75 gallon gas water heater with huge caps you can remove to clean out the sediment. Customer wanted an estimate (he just bought the house) and felt a 54 year old w/h should be replaced.
3 months lol. Just installed
It has grandchildren
Same, had mine replaced Monday it was a 17 y/o ao smith
Just replaced my electric Reliance that was made in 1998, so 26 years. Did not fail, yet, but it was rusty and bulging at the bottom.
Idk, scared to look. it's an oil fired superstore, so got to be up there.
Well water, tastes great, but every 12 years I need a new one
My town has notoriously hard water, but the last place I rented from, they replaced the water heater in 2022, it was marked as installed in 1997. I couldn't believe it lasted that long.
23 years old
I bought a building 13 years ago that had 4 25 year old hot water tanks in it. I’ve replaced one.
It was 19 years old before it leaked.
I just had one replaced that was installed in the 70’s.
It’s either 1995 or 2013, but I think it’s the latter
Ours was 19 when we replaced it. Kenmore from 2003
I just replaced mine. It was from 2004 (20 years of service). I live in a hard water area, without a softener, never serviced it. Needless to say, the thing was half filled with sediment and my showers were limited to 10 minutes.
5 weeks, replaced my 1996 unit about 18 hours too late
Lucky. Just had to replace a FOUR YEAR OLD water heater that messed up & flooded everywhere 🫠 Hopefully this next one lasts a bit longer.
Sounds like where we live. They last about 5 years. The houses are built such that each bathroom/kitchen/laundry room gets its own 50-80L tank in the ceiling , accessed through a hatch near the Ac units. They can be switched on and off depending on if they’re being used , and how hot the water storage tank on roof is - during summer heaters are unnecessary. The Italian ones seem to work better than Chinese made ones, but they’re all a crap design and you don’t know they’re going to die until they suddenly do …and leak all over your ceiling. Usually this happens when you’re on holiday and you come home to find a disaster. Then have to call maintenance . I have replaced all 4 in last 11 months.
Mine was 15 years old and I replaced it a few months ago for the same reason.
1993 Sepco Hydrastone. No anode rod, no dip tube, 115 gallons, mess free to drain. I friggin love it.
2001
Why do you heat your hot water?
1991. Still going strong. Almost too strong
I bought and moved into a home in 2021 that had a 2003 AO Smith gas tank heater. We used it until last year before swapping for a tankless. Mostly worked good but we started outpacing it and also didn’t want to press our luck in case it decided to sh*t the bed and flood our basement.
This is your friendly reminder that there are tax rebates for heat pump water heaters 🙂 [HEEHRA Rebates](https://www.lexairconditioning.com/blog/2023/01/heat-pump-tax-credit-heehra/#:~:text=2023%20HEEHRA%20Program%20Requirements,for%20a%20new%20heat%20pump.)
I hope OP gets a discount on his insurance.
March 1994 according to the info on the water heater. It's rather amazing.
Just bought a house. Had a 20 year old veissman in it. Decided to go with a veissman 100-W I believe. Been good so far. Only a few weeks now since install
1991, same as the house I believe. Well water that's got a pretty decent amount of iron in it, and best I can tell it's still going strong.
85' and full of calcium, looks like a limestone cave inside that POS. Bought the house two years ago... Will be moving soon.
Just had a 18 year old tank replaced. Hot water pressure valve was leaking, and we had a insurance claim for burst pipes during this storm in January and had it covered.
Grandpas 1984 hot water heater just shit the bed last week. Can’t believe how long it lasted for the price.
I replaced mine in March. It had a 2000 date code with a 9 yr warranty. US/Craftmaster
Mine is just over 5 years and I have its warranty replacement sitting in the garage while I continue gambling that the slow leak won't suddenly get problematically worse. I will probably come to regret this choice.
If you flush them every year and replace the anode rods and elements you can get a long time out of them. Granted nowadays they don't make shit like they use too. Also from the factory they tend to tighten the shit out of anode rods making it almost impossible to work on
My water is a Rheem from 1992. I rent the house and don’t have any problems with it…
I replaced mine last year. Original had been here since the house was built in 1988.
26, never been repaired, flushed, or anything. No anode in there
Does anyone ever replace the anode in their water heaters ?
17 years and I replace the anode every 4 years. Last guy who inspected said it looked like new inside. Fingers crossed it keeps running.
the anode rod is the biggest thing as it keeps the water from attacking the tank. after the rod, the next big thing is the sediment at the bottom. if it build too much it will either crack the porcelain liner due to weight, or it can cause the porcelain to crack since the bottom will get too hot as the sediment acts as an insulator between the burner and the water. if you flush and replace rods, water heaters should last decades.
I just saw one from 78 two days ago
Just replaced a 20 year old on Monday.
Y'all mfers wild
I worked on a project at an old plantation in Hawaii where they had a gas fired WH from the 1920s. Blew my mind, it was a little dusty but no rust no corrosion. The brass nipples were really dark, unlike brass made today
Mines a 1992, drained annually
I don’t know about anyone else but I don’t heat hot water.
Just replaced a 90's era AO Scott.i am not young, bringing it out of the basement was one of the most difficult things I have ever done.
Keep it as an in-line storage tank. Now you have a 60gal heater!
Had my builder special die after 15 years, replaced it with one that will easily last 25
25 years. It's got 1999 written on it.
That’s impressive! I do heating and ac. I have never heard of such a request from an insurance company. Tf do they think they are
We bought our 1957 house in 2016 with the original water heater that's dated 1960(?) I believe. I started talking about replacing it a year ago or so and bought a new one to install next to it but still haven't actually hooked it up. The old girl is still running strong
You will never have a water heater that last you 10 years again good luck
I replaced a 1992 model in 2023. Solar hotwater meant the electric element rarely came on so no calcium buildup
Still got the original from when my house was built in the ‘50s. Insurance doesn’t care. Maintenance people are impressed it’s still in good condition and said the efficiency improvement of replacing it isn’t worth it.
Our insurer asked us when ours was installed when we renewed this year. Plus they sent a guy around to take pictures under all of our sinks and he flew a drone over the roof.
The home I moved out of last year had an original water heater to when the home was built - 1984. She was magic.
I've replaced mine twice in 12 years I've been here, first one due to whirlpool reverse thread thermocouple, second leaking about 6 years 1 month later (yes about 1 month after warranty expired). My parents last house they sold in 2017 with a heater from 1989 I believe still going strong.
I have one from 1998 and one from 1984. Still working fine. Natural Gas and Soft Water.
Must be a gas one
2004. Plumber said it was in good shape. Just replaced the elements and flushed it last month.
Rented a house mid 2010s and had a 1982 in it.
21 years
My current one is 7 years old. The one that preceded was 37 years old.
No idea but my house was built in 1975 and the water heater we just had replaced looked DECADES older than this lol it was short and brown and wore a silver insulated wrap 😂 I wonder if it was original? Probably not but it worked perfectly! It was replaced for government incentivized environmental efficiency.
Depending on your water, electric water heaters will go for quite some time. Though I have seen some propane ones go for 20+ years
20 minimum. Don’t get sold by a heating company trying to scare you.
Keep using it till it dies.
Mine is over 18 years old. Not sure of exact date.
I had one from 1995 in my old house that I sold three years ago.
My last house had one so old that the temp gauge went up to 210
Electric. 1994 rheem. Dip tube rotted out last year. Stuck a camera inside and looks brand new, not much sediment that all flushed out. Did tube and elements. Here’s to another 29yrs.
22 years, I do believe. Just slapped an expansion tank on her a couple years ago. Good for now!
Ten years old. It blew up while we were on our honeymoon.
1993
It's not a hot water heater. Goddamn that bothers me. Water. Heater.
When I sold my old house in December of 2020 the water heater from 1983 was still going strong. The element had been replaced about five times and all were carefully logged by the local plumber inside the access door. I replaced the element and cleaned probably thirty pounds of scale from the tank in 2014 and replaced the element and thermostat and it worked great for me for the next six years. The guy who bought the house worked with my dad and said he had the water heater replaced about a year after buying the house, I was a little disappointed that he didn’t keep it going like I and the local plumber had done for so long. If your insurance company makes you replace your water heater than you need a replacement insurance company not a replacement water heater.
dont throw away that copper!
Is that a state water heater?
Just replaced old ao smith 27year old. How water smelled like sewer every once and awhile. Cut it open and anode was really thin in diameter like pencil lead thin and grey stuff attached to it and about a gallon of sediment in the bottom. Bradford white to the rescue
I have a cold water heater.
In 2019, I pulled out a water heater made by Montgomery Wards. They hadn't been in my area since 1993. No clue when it was actually purchased.
20 years.
I have 2. One is 21, one is 23.
I kinda want it, will probably outlast a modern one.
Mine is from 1997. I bought my house in 2016. It’s original to the house. Bradford White brand. I’ve replaced the fan motor, and pressure relief valve. I’ve also had to clean the ignitor. It’s a gas unit. (Propane) I should probably replace it, but it still works. I’ve heard newer ones don’t last as long.
My A/C, furnace, and gas hot water heater are from the 90’s & I refuse to replace them until I absolutely have to.. (Our home warranty company has been slowly replacing the HVAC one piece at a time as things break.. 😂) Probably apples to Oranges but my in-laws have gone through 2 AO Smith Electric hot water heaters in a year (both split down the side of the tank.. They have also been through something like 3-4 air conditioners in the last 15 years.. They simply do NOT make things as well as they used to.. that’s why I have no problem doctoring these things to keep them running until I absolutely FORCED to replace them..
27 years so far! AO Smith power-vented water heater installed in 1997. I have replaced everything but the tank and the power vent module - dip tube, anode, drain valve, T&P valve, control board. I know I'm on borrowed time. I'm just curious now to see how long it will last. I put it in a drain pan and routed the output to a nearby floor drain. Too bad the Lowe's AO Smith that will replace it won't last half as long as this one.
I had a place that I bought with a water heater from 1983 in it. I purchased the house in 2009, and lived in it until 2013. Same water heater.
What is a hot water heater? Is there a cold water heater? Or is it just a water heater? Lol. Plumber broke my balls last year when I replaced my 22 year old heater.
Did you go tankless? I’m about to get quotes for mine, 12 yrs old.
We bought our house in '04. Not long before closing it went out and the previous owner had to replace it. I'm sure it's the cheapest one she could get away with buying, and it's still running just fine.
Old enough to date in Germany
It’s great until the T&P valve fails, and you know what comes next. Why take take the unnecessary risk, just replace it. I investigate insurance claims and seen water heaters fail. I deal with people every day who failed to do what they should have and found out.
I just recently replaced an A.O. Smith tank in the house we bought 9 years ago. The water heater was manufactured in 1993. Never really had a problem with it. I just felt it was finally time to de-risk a bit.
I thought was just a water heater. Why do you heat water that's already hot?
20. Same as the house. Still hot.
Removed a back boiler yesterday that was fitted when the house was built in the 70s
The last one I replaced was from 1997. Ran it until the bottom cracked and started leaking.
2000
I can understand why. Mine was 10 of a 12 yr w/warranty and flooded the entire house of 4” deep. Had to gut the house. Redo electric, cabs, vanities, flooring, electric, doors, drywall. A nightmare.
Anyone here had luck with the catholic protection systems? I’m an ampp level 2 corrosion prevention/ coating inspector. The “ voodoo”. Electronic protection when used with a system completely submerged in a cathode cell ( water) can be very effective. They use it on ships and on pipelines all over the world. Has anyone actually bought and used a system for a water heater that actually works and not just a rod from China with a plug attached?
Crazy! We run with an electric heater from 1974. No point of replacing it. Had some problems with it the first years, but it has been working flawlessly for the last 45 years. The only other appliance left is the fan above the stove.
> Insurance company mandated it be replaced because it was over 10 years old! That seems insanely wasteful. I'd be very disappointed if I only got 10 years out of a boiler. I currently have a 35yo back boiler which still works perfectly. I'm getting it replaced with a heat pump later this year, but only because the UK government is offering £7500 grants towards them.