How often do you need a new hot water heater?

[Foxhound3857]

Ours lasted 20 years before we finally replaced it with an electric one, 50 gallons. Makes a hell of a difference in how much hot runner we can run in the bath/shower.

 

[tvguy]

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.

Ours is in the garage, so no mess to worry about. My parents was inside the house, but in it's own closet with a grate floor in a house with a raised foundation so if it ever leaked, it went harmlessly under the house.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

*knock on wood* we have yet to replace our water heater and we have lived here 7 years.

My old house, we went through 3 water heaters in 9 years of living there.

 

[tvguy]

*knock on wood* we have yet to replace our water heater and we have lived here 7 years.

My old house, we went through 3 water heaters in 9 years of living there.

I hope at your old house they were fixed for free under warranty!

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I hope at your old house they were fixed for free under warranty!

Unfortunately no... the first one went out a few months after we bought the house, started leaking. We replaced that one. It worked for a few years, and then the pilot light kept going out after the warranty expired of course. Bought another one... worked til we sold the house. I have no idea how long beyond that it might have worked.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

For what it’s worth, this is one of those things that is a “they don’t make them like they used to.” 8-12 years is life expectancy for current models. Ours went in our first home and I believe it was over 25 years old. Thankfully, that was a first floor garage set up. The one in our second house, which was brand new construction, lasted about 8. That was in the attic of a 2 story house.

The one in our current house broke in September. It was 12 years old. The plumber said we could just fix the part that went but with the age of the unit, and the high cost of the part, replacement was advised. This was the most expensive to date. Attic of 2-story house, tucked in behind a bunch of beams, resulting in an extra labor fee.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Haven’t had a private house water heater in donkey years but did work with multi dwelling units which of course are much bigger and tend to be better made than residential units. Yeah but still needed annual maintenance which I’d assume is true for private home versions. The useful residential water heater lifespan averages about 15 years with the proviso that it depends on what kind you have.

Before I sold my company I advised most of the buildings I worked with to consider switching to a heat pump as it was more cost effective with a lower breakdown history (the bane of my working existence was a poorly maintained mechanical and physical infrastructure; poured as much available funds into it as soon as I took over an account) and was often eligible for tax reductions or subsidies.

 

[goofyernmost]

Since I purchased a residence in 1973 until now, I had to replace only one. Got lucky, I guess.

 

[hertamaniac]

I installed a new one about 2 years ago (driven by my homeowner's insurance). I open the bottom valve and do a power flush every winter to rid it of built-up sediment.

I also turn off the breaker to the water heater for most of the summer. My unit is in the garage which has southern exposure and gets very hot so there is no need to supply electricity to it.

 

[_19disnA]

Water heaters are insulated to retain the heat. It is somewhat like a large thermos bottle. That is part of why in climates where you don't get extremely cold weather you can put them in the garage when the home doesn't have a basement. I doubt you can actually heat the water in the tank even from the ambient temperature of a very warm garage, unless it is poorly made and/or has very little insulation. Likely it is just retaining the hot water already in the tank.

How long a tank lasts relates to the nature of your water supply (i.e. high in minerals/etc.) as well as the overall demand you have for hot water along with the quality of the product. A large family, for example, will use much more water meaning the tank has to cycle more often than someone who lives alone so that tank will likely not last as long.

 

[hertamaniac]

By turning off my heating elements (upper and lower via the breaker) for about 7 months of the year, I am extending the life of them. Even when I am traveling on vacations for extended periods (I'll arbitrarily pick 7-14 days), in the winter I will turn them off. The delta T to heat them could be large or small depending on the retention of heat in the garage and water heater and the duration. But the elements are consuming zero electricity or wear. The 20-25 minutes to reheat the number of gallons in my tank should not be equivalent in terms of kWh vs. a constant cycling over that period of time. And cycling causes more wear than a steady state. Throw on a water heater blanket and I reduce the cycling further.

Since I keep my water heater thermostat at about 100-degrees F, the summer showers I take are actually meant to cool me off. And my dishwasher heats the water above that number, so no need to have a tank heating water above my shower temperature(s).

 

[SC Minnie]

We bought our house new 26 years ago. We've replaced the hot water heater twice-- earlier this year was the 2nd time.

 

[dizneegirl]

We put in a tankless when we bought the house 19 years ago... still going strong.

 

[lovesmurfs]

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.

This. We go 12-15 years. It's not worth the agita wondering if it's going to break.