Regularly Maintained?
 

If you have performed regular maintenance on the tank, there is no need to panic and spend money unnecessarily. That's IF you have regularly drained and flushed the tank and IF you have regularly replaced the sacrificial anode.

If you haven't regularly drained the tank, and do not have a water softener, you have a layer of sediment in the bottom of the tank that is several inches thick and hard as stone (which it actually is--do your shower heads and faucets have a lot of white "crust" around the edges? if so, your water heater has the same). If it is a gas model, heating the several inches of hard sediment at the bottom is very inefficient and your monthly gas bill will go way down with the new tank.

If you haven't regularly replaced the sacrificial anode, your tank has been rusting away from the inside beginning on the day that the anode installed by the manufacturer was used up (probably 5 years). In that case, your water heater is living on borrowed time and should be on a death watch.

When you install the new water heater, do yourself a favor and also install a Watts recirculating pump which will give you nearly instant hot water throughout your house. Also, bite the bullet and install a water softener. You'll feel cleaner after a shower or bath; there will be no soap scum on the shower walls; no white crust or deposits on the shower head and faucets (and inside the pipes); your laundry will be cleaner; and you'll use less soap and detergent.

2 Years ago I replaced my 1997 electric WH. it was working fine no issues but the shut off was starting to look a little Corroded. Since I was planning to replace the shut off might as well replace the WH anyway.

Expansion tanks typically last about 5 years so you need to check it once a year to make sure it's not full of water. Just tap on the top and bottom with something metal like a screw driver. The top section should sound hollow if the tank is good.

Also, many just don't realize with a very old water heater, there is probably a lot of sediment and rust inside the tank making it very inefficient even though it's still working and not leaking. Changing your tank water heater at the end of it's warrenty life will save a significant amount of money in the long run.

It is a good idea for homeowners to order a $10 pressure gauge from Amazon. You can screw this on to any outside hose bibb and immediately determine your house water pressure. It should be about 60-70 psi. The builder should install a pressure gauge somewhere in the house, but they usually don't.

YES-replace.
I agree, 10 years. I too, have a low risk/hassle free tolerance.

On city water water heater should last 15 years or so, most do. if on well water be lucky to 10 years?

My home insurance company was going to drop me unless I replaced a 10-year old hot water heater that was functioning perfectly. I replaced it.

I use battery operated water alarms under all plumbing valves. I also have one in the water heater overflow pan. Last year, it alerted me to a small leak in my expansion tank. Another one in the kitchen alerted me that my garbage disposal was leaking. You can buy them from Amazon for inexpensive peace of mind.

Hot Water Heater - reminded me of George Carlin's comedy routine! I loved his earlier routines. Thanks for the memory!

I was in the same boat; 20 year old gas hot water tank, it still worked great with no problems. Since we are only here for part of the year and for peace of mind, we had ours replaced by Mike Scott Plumbing in February, it was less than $900 installed and they hauled away the old one. Easy peasy and no more worries.

Far from an expert. If, they were or are failing every five years, something is wrong. Quality of the water? An electrical issue, improper grounding.

Don’t fix what is not broken. That said, you are a year behind mine, and it just needed replacement. It developed a small leak, controlled by the pan beneath it, and drained to the outside.
Do not sweat the expansion tank, most likely it is government over reach to subsidize some political donors from the plumbing industry. You have not needed one for the past 21 years, right?

Mine is 27 years old. I guess they made them properly back then.

Other posters have changed their still-working ones at 5 years, 10 years, 12 years etc. etc. so how do you decide when to replace a perfectly-working one? Seems like guesswork to me.

Do whatever you feel comfortable with.

It still looks and works well. Hard to make myself replace it for one that probably won't last but 5 years.

If there was no backflow preventer in the water supply line, your water pressure would always remain at supply pressure. With a backflow preventer, as cold water expands when it is heated, it increases the pressure on the water heater and pipes in your house.