How often do you need a new hot water heater?

[Simba's Mom]

The plumber just told us today that we need a new hot water heater. This is our third hot water heater in 21 years of owning our house. Is that average? It seems like one should have lasted this length of time. My mother said that they've had their house 60 years, yet they've never replaced the hot water heater. We keep the temperature set for the hot water at 120 degrees, which is the temperature that the plumber recommended. My parents live up in New England, with cold winters, and their hot water heater's in an unheated basement. We're in a very hot climate (never snows, hotter than Orlando) and the hot water heater's in our garage, if climate matters. So why do we need a hot water heater so often? Or is it normal?

 

[Skippy918]

Is your heater not working correctly? I know you have to replace the rod in it every few years. We switched to tankless 3 years ago. We had one original tank from 2004 and the other was from 2009.

 

[kdonnel]

Do you have a lot of minerals in your water? The mineral content can shorten a water heaters lifespan.

 

[lynxstch]

We had a new one put in when we bought this house 24 years ago. Knock on wood, it's still going strong.

 

[NotUrsula]

Water heaters require regular maintenance, especially if you have a lot of minerals in your water. Neglecting the maintenance will definitely shorten the lifespan. Most water heaters sold now in the US have a life span of about 15 years when properly maintained.

Are you fully draining the water heater at least once a year to remove sediment (and preferably every 6 months if you have a problem with them wearing out too often.)?

Depending on your water's mineral content, the anode rod should be replaced every 3-5 years. If your water smells like rotten eggs, that's a sure sign that your anode rod needs to be replaced. (It costs a couple of hundred dollars to have a plumber do it, but it isn't especially difficult to DIY. The most challenging part is loosening the nut that holds a factory-installed rod in place; they are hellishly hard to get loose.)

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

60 years ago products were made to last a life time.
These days products are made to break so that companies can continue to make a profit.

If yours isn't actually broken yet I wouldn't replace it.

And sorry I think I misread. I thought its been 21 years but its your 3rd in that time? My guess is they are just suggesting that you should replace it every 7 years and to that I would say ummm no!
We have had our current one for 15. We do not have maintenance done on it. Nothing seems to be wrong with it....

 

[sam_gordon]

The plumber just told us today that we need a new hot water heater. This is our third hot water heater in 21 years of owning our house. Is that average? It seems like one should have lasted this length of time. My mother said that they've had their house 60 years, yet they've never replaced the hot water heater. We keep the temperature set for the hot water at 120 degrees, which is the temperature that the plumber recommended. My parents live up in New England, with cold winters, and their hot water heater's in an unheated basement. We're in a very hot climate (never snows, hotter than Orlando) and the hot water heater's in our garage, if climate matters. So why do we need a hot water heater so often? Or is it normal?

A lot of factors can affect a water heater's life cycle. What's in the water, the quality of manufacture, and maintenance are probably the big three. I would expect 10-15 years out of an average one.

Did you get a second opinion?
Did you ask WHY the WH failed?
Did you ask what you can do to prevent a failure?

 

[GAN]

The plumber just told us today that we need a new hot water heater. This is our third hot water heater in 21 years of owning our house. Is that average? It seems like one should have lasted this length of time. My mother said that they've had their house 60 years, yet they've never replaced the hot water heater. We keep the temperature set for the hot water at 120 degrees, which is the temperature that the plumber recommended. My parents live up in New England, with cold winters, and their hot water heater's in an unheated basement. We're in a very hot climate (never snows, hotter than Orlando) and the hot water heater's in our garage, if climate matters. So why do we need a hot water heater so often? Or is it normal?

Tankless is the way to go. Check your local utility company -they may even offer some rebate money to cut the cost. More expensive up front, but pays for itself over time. Just my opinion…

 

[Lumpy1106]

Warning, Dad joke;

Spoiler: dad joke

If the water is already hot, why do you need to heat it?

Just recently replaced ours. It lasted about 20 years.

 

[_19disnA]

Excessive minerals in the water can cause the inside of the tank to accumulate deposits. That is largely a function of where you live as some parts of the country have that issue while other areas do not. As others have mentioned, replacing the anode is something to have done periodically, particularly with high mineral deposits. If it isn't leaking or has no other issues, not sure how a plumber could determine you need a new tank. Usually people realize it is time for a new water heater when it starts leaking from the bottom. Do you have the proper size tank for the amount of hot water needed for your family? Tankless heaters are a LOT more expensive so also good to see what options you have. My experience is that around 15 yrs is the average lifetime for a water heater.

 

[NannyBeBe]

We have very hard water in our area. We replaced our water heater after about 15 years.

 

[bluezy]

We built our house in 2003 and had an oil-fired hot water heater at that time. In 2009 we ran out of oil in July (after me telling my husband over and over again that we needed to order more oil -- he was waiting for the price to drop more. He has not made that mistake again.) and when they delivered the oil, they had to bleed the line. When they did that, the oil delivery guy noticed that our hot water heater had a big patch of rust on the back and there was actually a hole between the inner bladder and outer tank. Fortunately the bladder wasn't leaking. We replaced that hot water heater (that was still working fine) and switched to an electric hot water heater. I'll mention that we have 5 kids and they were all living at home at that time, so the hot water heater worked long hard hours. We just replaced that electric hot water heater about 6 months ago -- so it lasted over 15 years. We also have very hard water and do no real maintenance on our hot water heater. We're hoping this one lasts until after we sell the house (in 10-12 years). We only have one child living at home with us anymore so it won't get used nearly as much as our previous hot water heaters.

 

[WDWEPCOT]

Hard water here replaced hot water heaters like crazy - went tankless and never looked back best decision ever - moved to new house - hard water still ( such thing as even harder ??) water heater lasted 4 yrs - again went tankless and added something to remove the hard water and clean out the pipes ( not a water softener) whatever it is I could tell a difference in the water the next day !!! Well worth it !!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

The plumber just told us today that we need a new hot water heater. This is our third hot water heater in 21 years of owning our house. Is that average? It seems like one should have lasted this length of time. My mother said that they've had their house 60 years, yet they've never replaced the hot water heater. We keep the temperature set for the hot water at 120 degrees, which is the temperature that the plumber recommended. My parents live up in New England, with cold winters, and their hot water heater's in an unheated basement. We're in a very hot climate (never snows, hotter than Orlando) and the hot water heater's in our garage, if climate matters. So why do we need a hot water heater so often? Or is it normal?

Water heaters, typically, last between 6-12 years. As noted there are factors that can shorten that time.

 

[tvguy]

Replaced my water heater when it was 20 years old. It was leaking after being hit one too many times our car as it is in our garage right in the middle of where one car parks. I had the replacement moved to the corner of the garage, where there is actually an alcove, not sure why the original wasn't there. Replacement went about 10 years, but plumber said it was new enough that it was worth just replacing both the heating elements. As I recall with the service call and parts, came to less than $150. Even today the actual part is $20 each at the hardware store. Replaced the entire water heater at 21 years, as the plumber said by then you don't know what is going on inside the tank.
So in my experience about 20 years is the norm. HOWEVER, the plumber said anymore water heaters are only built to last about 7 years which is about what the warranty is. . I asked for a model than had a 10 year warranty, but in reality, it is the same water heating as the one with a 7 year warranty, they just add on 3 years extended warranty.

 

[goofyernmost]

In 1976 we moved into the house that our children grew up in, we moved out in 2001. Hot water tank was still the original. So in our case it was 25 years. I think that quality has been on the decline for many years and most household appliances lasted a long time. As far as most appliances in the time, especially if it said Kenmore on it, lasted for years. I notice the replacement, never lasted as long as those early ones did.

I remember when we were first married, my wife was still in college and I was just starting a career. In other words we were broke. I found a mobile home in a nice park that actually cost us less then what we were paying in rent of our apartment. It was from a family of 5, a man, wife and three fairly young children. The had just been able to buy a house and sold us that MH. They left the appliance's including a washing machine that they used for years and through three babies and toddlers. The told us that we were leaving that and that it was still working but they didn't expect it to last a lot longer. That was a Kenmore and it was already 10 years old. We used it in the MH as our first daughter was a newborn an into the terrible twos when we were able to buy our first house. Shortly after we moved in our second daughter was born and ten years later we were still using that washer. It finally had a problem with timer that shut the water flow off, but it was repairable with a pair of plyers and a Phillips screw driver. Parts were still available but we decided to replace it at that time. It was kinda sad to see it go. One thing we knew was that we sure got our moneys worth out of it.

 

[MillauFr]

Do you have a lot of minerals in your water? The mineral content can shorten a water heaters lifespan.

This is the correct answer.

 

[LoveDaisy]

I replaced mine when I bought my house 17 years ago and just replaced it earlier this year. I do annual maintenance and do not have hard water or excessive minerals in the water.

 

[msmayor]

Owned my home 28 years...purchased brand new...I'm on my third.

We replace about every 12 years without question. It's not the type of major appliance you want to wait until it breaks, because cleaning up the mess can be a nightmare.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Thanks everyone. I have a feeling that lack of maintenance is the main cause of the show life span. I don't think anything is ever done, like yearly maintenance. I do know that we would have very hard water, but because we have a water softener, DH thought we wouldn't have mineral problems, which was why he didn't do anything. However, the plumber said that that's not true.