How long does the average hot water heater last before requiring replacement?
Posted on | April 27, 2010 | 8 Comments
We purchased our home 2 1/2 years ago. Current age of our hot water heater is 14 years. It is functioning fine, however, we are facing some other replacements in the house (i.e. new furnace), just wondering what a rule of thumb is on hot water heater life. Ours is an AO Smith brand, 40 gal capacity.-
Forgot to say, it is a gas heater. Thanks for all answers so far. All great.
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Category: Uncategorized
Tags: Average > before > Heater > last > Long > replacement > requiring > Water
Tags: Average > before > Heater > last > Long > replacement > requiring > Water
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8 Responses to “How long does the average hot water heater last before requiring replacement?”
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April 27th, 2010 @ 5:34 pm
They are different of course, but I use 15 years as a guide.
April 27th, 2010 @ 6:12 pm
mine is also an AO smith, it has a 10 yr warranty on it,
[electric]
usualy a gas water heater. will rust out in 8 to 10 yrs. a elect will last for at least 15 yrs, [there glass lined]
April 27th, 2010 @ 6:32 pm
I think you have gotten a good life from your water heater. If you are updating, I would recomend looking into the new “tankless” water heater. It’s just a small electrical unit installed on the water pipe, these new heaters are expensive, but pay for themselves quickly because you are not geeping 40 gallons hot all the time. They only heat water, when you turn the faucet on. Oh yes,,, that big old water heater goes away….
April 27th, 2010 @ 7:23 pm
AO Smith makes a good heater, but I’d start planning a replacement. 14 years is a pretty long time for a heater to last. May be better to replace now, as preventative maintenance, rather than at 2:00 am when it ruptures. Some things to do when you get your new one for preventative maintenance: Check the anode rod. Replacing that can extend the life of the water heater quite a bit. Drain a gallon of water every month or two helps too, by removing sediment from the bottom of the tank. Insulate the heater, and insulate the pipes that come from it. This saves energy, as well as keeping your heater from having to work so hard. Hope this helps.
April 27th, 2010 @ 7:27 pm
not sure who makes ours but 12years and still working great and its electric
April 27th, 2010 @ 7:50 pm
believe it or not, we’ve actually replaced water heaters that were over 40 years old! Depending on whether your on city or well water, how many people in the house, and size of the water heater, I’d expect you should be able to get at least 12 years – most are about 18 years when we replace them.
April 27th, 2010 @ 8:15 pm
15-18 years is normal depending on the hardness of the water. After 18 years of age the water heater is on borrfowedtime.
June 5th, 2011 @ 4:56 am
My hot water heater is 13 years old. In the shower, it loses it hot water after only 4-5 minutes of use. Whe I turn it up to “hotter”, it becomes cold! I am a single person so only use it once a day and I don’t take long showers.
I had the heater inspected. It is not leaking. I drained it as per instructions. Any idea of what is taking place.