2004 hot water heater
 

My hot water heater is a 2004 located in the garage. It looks great and heats the water well. It doesn't have an expansion tank. Should I be looking to replace this now?

Life of a WH is around 10 years +/-. You can wait for it to spring a leak or replace now. Depends on your appetite for risk management.

Replaced mine last year at 10 years old. Since yours isn't broken, you might want to consider alternatives to traditional WH. In-line heaters are popular. I went with a hybrid heat pump option. Caught a great price and with the tax credit, total price was only around $1800.

You’re on borrowed time. I imagine code will require expansion tank. Never mentioned it was gas or electric? Electric usually cheaper.

Some plumbers will refer to the replacement as a "repair" and not install an expansion tank. OP, if you do replace the water heater, I would recommend that you insist on any quote to include an expansion tank. Also, you should get an overflow pan under the water heater, if you don't already have one. These are both code requirements today.

Ours was about the same age, the expansion tank had failed (full of water), and I happened to notice water leaking at the top of the tank, replaced immediately, along with a new expansion tank. Note this was an electric water heater.

Replaced our expansion tank about 3 years ago. A neighbor made us smart on it. YouTube has videos on how to do it. Went to my son's house in NW FL, found that his exp tank was bad, and replaced it. My current exp tank is still good.

Yes, it would be wise to replace it before it leaks...you are long overdue.

Wow, your on borrowed time. I could not get more than 5 years out of the one up north. I hear the new ones need flushed every so often so check the owners manual of your new one for that maintenance tip.

Replaced our electric HW heater earlier this year. It was 10 years old and started to leak. Fortunately the plastic bin held the water and drained it outside.
$910 total for Michael Scott to replace. New Rheem with new expansion tank and bin. Great job. Perfect.

Talked w Mike Scott rep at Ocala home show...they have some some clients with 18 year old plus water heaters..heaters are drain flushed yearly with a garden hose connection at the base.Our heater is 2009..regular flush,one lower element and new expansion tank 2 years ago.

You are on borrowed time with that. I know the on demand systems cost more initially but within a very short period you will recoup the difference in energy savings. Good luck and let us know what you decide please

Bay Kid, the expansion tanks are required here in Fl. If you ever need new home insurance, they will most likely require you purchase a new water heater. Consider yourself very lucky yours lasted 20 years, is it electric or gas? A new electric one is about $900 with Mike Scott Plumbing. But, don't be surprised it you have problems in the near future with your 20 year old water heater. Better to replace now, before any surprises.

I had mine replaced as we were adding a gas line to a new pool heater and lanai grill. It was only 8 years old and we saw this as an opportunity to switch to tankless and move it to the outside of the house freeing up enough room in the garage to move an old refrigerator out there. Plus, when we remodeled the bathroom, wife put in a larger soaking tub and the 40 gallon water heater was not keeping up.

And BTW, it’s just a water heater… no need to heat hot water… LOL

I just replaced mine (gas) and it was a 2002. When I bought the house two years ago I knew I was going to have to replace it. Not sure how it lasted that long but it did. It was about $1300 installed. There is also a $300 rebate from TECO for gas.

Replaced my leaking water heater expansion tank last December (new one, $30 at Lowe’s). It was fourteen years old. It had a sticker on it saying “This device will leak. Replace when seven years old.”

BTW … part of the procedure to install a new expansion tank of to pre-pressurize it with air to your water pressure. I read my water pressure with a test gauge. It was 65 psi.

Note that I did not replace my 14-year-old water heater. Will put that on my ToDo list.

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.

Correct. Assume that you take several showers and use all of the hot water in the water heater, and then shut everything off in the house and leave for several hours. The water heater will come on and heat up the cold water in the tank causing thermal expansion and a significant increase in the water pressure throughout the house. But, if you have an expansion tank, the water can expand into the expansion tank and prevent the pressure increase. It only requires a small amount of thermal expansion of the water to create a significant pressure increase.

Water Heater
 

If it ain't broke, don't fix (or replace) it!

Depends what you feel comfortable with? Another factor how much metals in water, on city water water heater last longer. In country on well water if makes to 10 years you’re on borrowed time. On city water some were around 15 years or so, over 20 very lucky IMO.


IMO for two options? Wait for leak (and it will leak eventually, hopefully you’re home) or inspect it every day looking for drips or sprays. When mine failed in Oklahoma on well pump (8 years cause I brought cheap one) it sprayed cause the bladder tank kept falling below 40 PSI. Course it happen in night on other side of house and that room got flooded and water run down into air handler ducts being it was down flow system. Quit mess.

It still looks great but it does make popping, cracking noise when it is heating the water.