Yeah, I get the hesitation—replacing a water heater isn't exactly pocket change. But like you said:
"Once rust sets in, it's usually more cost-effective and safer long-term to bite the bullet..."
Better safe than sorry, especially with something that could flood your basement overnight... Good luck!
Had a similar issue a few years back—my heater started showing rust around the bottom. I tried to squeeze out another year by patching it up, thinking I'd save money. Well, one morning I woke up to ankle-deep water in the basement...lesson learned the hard way.
"Better safe than sorry, especially with something that could flood your basement overnight..."
Curious though, has anyone had luck extending the life of a rusty heater temporarily without disaster striking?
Honestly, patching a rusty heater is like putting a band-aid on a sinking boat—might hold for a bit, but you're asking for trouble. Been there, done that... ended up costing me more in cleanup than just biting the bullet and replacing it sooner.
"Honestly, patching a rusty heater is like putting a band-aid on a sinking boat—might hold for a bit, but you're asking for trouble."
Fair point, but I'm curious... how rusty are we talking here? Surface rust can sometimes be manageable with proper prep and sealing. But if it's deep corrosion or structural rust, yeah, you're probably right—it's a ticking time bomb. Had a client once who insisted on patching up his old heater. It held up surprisingly well for about six months until it suddenly flooded his basement overnight. Not pretty.
Also makes me wonder about the water quality in your area. High mineral content or acidity can accelerate rusting significantly. Have you checked into that? Could be worth investigating before investing in a brand-new heater.
I had a similar issue with my water heater last year—noticed some rust spots around the bottom edge and thought, "Eh, doesn't look too bad, probably just surface rust." Decided to sand it down, applied some rust converter and sealed it up with a waterproof coating. Honestly, I was feeling pretty proud of myself at first.
Fast forward about four months, and I started noticing small puddles around the heater again. Turns out the rust was deeper than I realized, and it had already weakened the tank from the inside. Ended up replacing it completely after all that effort.
One thing I learned through this whole experience: check your anode rod regularly. Mine was practically dissolved, which explained why the tank rusted so quickly. Also got a water quality test done afterward—turns out our water is pretty hard, so now I'm considering a softener system to hopefully avoid repeating this mess anytime soon...
