Had a similar issue at my parents' house last year. We tried flushing the tank and replacing the anode rod—honestly, it bought us maybe three months before the rust came back worse than ever. Ended up replacing it entirely, and surprisingly the new unit wasn't as expensive as we feared with the rebates. I'd say bite the bullet early, saves you headaches down the road...
Replacing early usually does save headaches, but I've had decent luck extending the life of older heaters by installing a whole-house water filter. It doesn't fix the rust issue completely, but it definitely slows things down and improves water quality overall. Have you or anyone else here tried adding a filter system alongside the heater replacement? Curious if others found it worthwhile or just an extra hassle...
"Have you or anyone else here tried adding a filter system alongside the heater replacement?"
Funny you mention that—I actually installed a whole-house filter last year, mostly to stop my kids from complaining about the water tasting "weird." Didn't even think about it helping with rust at first, but it surprisingly slowed down the rust buildup in our ancient heater. Didn't solve everything, of course (still had to replace eventually), but honestly, anything that buys me extra time before shelling out for a new heater is totally worth it...
That's actually pretty clever... I mean, filters aren't magic, but they do help keep things running smoother. Had a customer last month who installed one hoping it'd fix his rusty heater—didn't exactly fix it, but he said the water quality improved enough to buy him a few months before biting the bullet on replacement. So yeah, if you're already replacing the heater, adding a filter's not a bad move at all. Worst case scenario, your coffee tastes better.
Filters definitely help, especially if you're already planning to swap out the heater anyway. Did your customer notice any improvement in water pressure too, or was it mostly just taste and clarity? I've seen similar cases where a filter bought folks some extra time, but eventually, rust usually means the tank's days are numbered. Still, better coffee isn't exactly a bad consolation prize...right? Either way, sounds like you're on the right track.
