Often people believe that the water heater that has stopped working needs to be replaced. However, the truth is that only few parts of the heater is what needs replacement.
Most of the common problems with water heater involve components, which can be replaced. Typically, it will be much cheaper to repair a water heater as compared to replacing it.
You have to bear the total water heater replacement cost only when its life is completely over and is in irreparable condition.
How long your water heaters last?
You may safely assume that the life of any average quality of water heater can be anything between 10 – 15 years. Therefore, to answer your question – how long will a water heater is going to last will depend upon a number of factors.
In case, you regularly flush your water heater and also perform all the steps at least once in a year to maintain it as per the recommendation of the manufacturer of the heater then you can add few years of life to your heater.
Water heaters which has a fiberglass tank, will however, last substantially longer. There are few high-end models of heaters available in the market that may even come along with lifetime warranty together with the tank.
Though any damaged tanks may not be repaired, regardless about the materials from which they can be made of.
Many people often get tempted to buy a low-price model of heater, so keep in mind that any cheaper heater will only come with warranty of just 5 to 6 years.
Therefore, it will be worth spending little bit more up-front price to buy a model that offers at least 10 to 12 years of warranty. Often, they include heavier duty type of anode rods that are usually the most vital component when you have to consider keeping in good shape as far as the interior of the tank is concerned.
There is no doubt that you can also consider to upgrade your anode rod. However, remember in that case there will be some amount of additional work and for that you need to pay its cost as well.
Why tanks fail?
Primarily there can be two reasons of failure of water heater tank.
- Over pressurization
Over pressurization can happen due to exceeding specification of water psi on the tank that can happen either due to excessive heating or extra pressure in the inlet.
- Sediment buildup
Sediment buildup is another very common reason due to the presence of various chemicals in the water.
