"Sometimes it's just luck of the draw... or bad luck, depending on your karma with appliances."
Totally agree here—age is just one factor among many. A few other points to consider from my own experiences:
- Water quality can seriously shorten a heater's lifespan. Hard water, especially, is brutal.
- Regular maintenance (like flushing sediment yearly) makes a noticeable difference.
- Rusty water usually signals internal corrosion—often a ticking clock even if the heater isn't that old.
Had a 6-year-old unit fail spectacularly once, while my neighbor's ancient relic chugged along without issue. Go figure...
Had a similar experience myself—did all the recommended maintenance religiously, and still had mine rust out after just 5 years. Meanwhile, my brother ignored his completely and got 15 years out of it. Luck really is a factor sometimes...
"Luck really is a factor sometimes..."
Yeah, luck can play a role, but honestly, from what I've seen, water quality is the real silent killer. Even meticulous maintenance won't save a heater if you've got aggressive water chemistry—high mineral content or low pH can eat through tanks way faster than you'd expect. Might be worth testing your water and considering a softener or anode rod upgrade next time around. Rust isn't always random...sometimes it's a warning sign.
"Rust isn't always random...sometimes it's a warning sign."
Ha, ain't that the truth. I learned the hard way—ignored some rusty water thinking it was nothing, ended up with a basement pool party. Definitely worth checking out your water chemistry before things get splashy.
"Definitely worth checking out your water chemistry before things get splashy."
Fair point on water chemistry, but honestly, if you're seeing rust already, it's usually past the point where a simple water test will save you. Rust inside the heater tank often signals corrosion that's well underway, not just a minor imbalance. Sure, you can buy yourself some time with patches or treatments, but in my experience, that's just delaying the inevitable—and potentially making the eventual replacement more costly or inconvenient.
A few years back, I thought I'd outsmart the system and tried treating rust spots on an older heater. It seemed fine at first, but within months, I was right back where I started, with even more damage. Lesson learned: Once rust sets in, it's usually more cost-effective and safer long-term to bite the bullet and replace the unit entirely. Might sting upfront, but you'll thank yourself later when you're not dealing with surprise basement flooding or emergency plumber visits at midnight...
