If mine was leaking between 10 and 15 years, I would replace it. Otherwise, I will wait until it is 15 years old to replace. Being in the garage reduces the chance to have major damage when it leaks. Also, I have a battery-operated water alarm in the drain pan, which actually warned me of a pinhole leak in my expansion tank a few months ago. No damage.

That's Navy water hours.

Why in the world would an insurance company give a flying flip about the age of your appliances? I have never in my life had an insurance company ask me how old my washing machine or water heater is.

Welcome to Florida and villages. Water leaks can cause thousands dollars in damage and mole problems which could lead to drywall replacement or condemned house. When I had to get new insurance they took pictures of roof, water heater, and air handler. All are possible liability issues for insurance.

Not really too much in road :22yikes:

It’s a modified Navy shower. Was your dad in the Navy?

You'll Never Notice The Cost of a Recirculating Pump
 

The amount of electricity to run a Watts recirculating pump is so small that it will never be. noticed. Anyone who says differently does not know what they are talking about. The motor in a Watts pump is of the synchronous type that is used in electric clocks. In fact, the Watts pump is a clock as you can set the hours you want the pump to operate, if you are concerned about the small amount of electricity it uses. The pump is VERY LOW pressure-just enough to keep water moving through the line.

If you are so frugal that the cost of electricity to run a Watts pump is a concern the fact that the pump provides near-instant hot water at your faucets and showers will offset the cost of the water you waste while waiting for hot water to arrive at the faucets and showers. As one of the RP's to the OP said, you wait "a minute" for hot water to reach the faucet on the far side of the house.

Whether the Watts pump costs money to operate or it makes for a net savings by way of less water usage, the convenience of having near-instant hot water throughout the house is a wonderful thing to behold. No longer will you stand outside the shower in your birthday suit waiting for the hot water to arrive or inside the shower trying to position yourself in the corner and out of the stream of cold water.

Better to switch to an on demand water heater - similar to the ones being installed in the southern end of the Villages now. No tank at all.

And don't forget the benefit of washing with all that rusty hot water from your tank rusting from the inside out. That stuff gets in your pipes so you are drinking it too. The rust and corrosion can't be seen, but it's there. You should search for hot water tanks on YouTube and watch one where they cut open the tank so you can see what it looks like after the anode rod is long gone.

Also, people might think they are saving money waiting until their tank fails but its just the opposite. Unless you are flushing it every year, there will be a ton of sediment in the tank by year 10 so it's efficiency goes way down, especially if its gas. So the few extra years you might get, you are wasting money using an inefficient heater.

If a new heater costs about $900-$1,200 installed, do the math, you save maybe $200 waiting till year 15 vs 10.

Just something to think about.

If you have an existing hot water tank, its never cost effective to go tankless especially if you are only 2 people living here in the Villages. The initial cost to run a gas line and exhaust to the new tankless can cost 3-4 times the amount of just getting a tank replacement. And there is no benefit going tankless. Currently electric tankless units are not very good and if you do want to make that change, you will need new electric at a higher amperage to run tankless electric.

I would stick with the 40 gallon. You’ll end up having too many problems running out of hot water. Personally, I’ll stay with a tankless water heater. It’s excellent especially when company stays here and we are using the shower for 5 or 6 people.

How does your electric water heater defy the laws of physics? ANY hot water line that sits stagnant will start losing its heat immediately when the water usage stops flowing. Electric or on demand, makes no difference. When you first your hot water, it will take time to expell the now cool water in your how water line. Or am I missing something?
I put a thermostat on a on/off switch in the furthest fixture from our on demand water heater. Uses the cold water line as a return loop. I truly have instant hot water with no water loss down the drain. The best of both worlds.

I don't like instant... wastes 2-3 gal of water waiting for instant to reach the faucets. Would use a garden can to catch the waste for plants.[/QUOTE]

Did you have to run high gauge wire for the electric tankless and a dedicated breaker?

That statement is inaccurate. A tankless delivers hot water in under 2 seconds. The delay people mention comes exclusively from the longer pipe distance. My tankless is on the outside wall about 4 ft from where the tank would have been placed. That might add 4 seconds to the time either one would have had hot water flowing (into the exact same pipe) to the shower. The total time to get that hot water all the way to the bathroom - on the opposite side of the house - is EXACTLY THE SAME no matter the source.

If you put a tankless electric in, where the tank is now, there is no difference in delivery time. And you get a bunch of storage space too.

Love tankless. No concerns what else might be using hot water. Always hot for as long as needed.

Depending on the capacity, probably 60-100 amps. This is not inexpensive since the wires to support that amount of amperage is costly and depending on the location there could be significant labor costs.

In the Navy for 18mths and the army for 35 years.

I don’t drink hot water let alone water from tap. :sigh:

Can they be installed inside house like the garage? Some of older designs only option. My water heater in garage close by front door, so outside unit probably be no go?

But you cook with the cold water? You wash with the hot water? The rust and corrosion residue is in all your pipes.

I cook with cold water, but I do wash with hot water. But Topspinmo does make a good point. If there is any rust in the water, almost all of it would be in the hot water pipes. The only time hot and cold water is mixed is when it comes out of the faucet, or if you have a recirculating system, which I don't have. I guess you could have your hot water tested to see how much rust is in it.

Electric tanks and tankless do not have a vent, so they can go inside. Replacing an electric tank with a tankless can be put roughly in the same location. Although one might want it shifted to the side.

For those with gas, most people use an outdoor tankless in warm climated. However, there are models that can go inside. Current indoor tankless require a fresh air source, and an exhaust. Both are ok with using PVC pipes. 3 or 4 inch dia.
Also, current gas fired tank units would need the same air in&out pipes.
Combustion gasses need to vent outside.