Jan 17
How long does the average hot water heater last before requiring replacement?
Maintenance Repairs Add commentsevanlouis15 asked:
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.
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.
7 Responses to “How long does the average hot water heater last before requiring replacement?”
January 18th, 2009 at 7:33 am
They are different of course, but I use 15 years as a guide.
January 19th, 2009 at 9:38 am
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]
January 20th, 2009 at 7:38 am
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….
January 21st, 2009 at 10:18 am
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.
January 23rd, 2009 at 7:31 pm
not sure who makes ours but 12years and still working great and its electric
January 25th, 2009 at 8:51 am
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.
January 26th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
15-18 years is normal depending on the hardness of the water. After 18 years of age the water heater is on borrfowedtime.