Hot water heater - replace now or later? (how much, pool, tank)

[echinela]

We have a 12 years old AO Smith 50 gallon gas fired hot water heater. It's running fine with no leaks and we are contemplating to replace it now and take advantage of the tax credit or wait a bit. Will it last a few more years?

[faithfulFrank]

Hard to say......depends on your water quality, where it is, (ie; musty basement or nice garage), etc.

Also depends on your needs. How many people in the house, etc. Do you need a 50 gallon? If you have a large tub or a lot of people taking showers, etc, you may need that size. Usually it is based on the number of bedrooms, etc.

I've seen heaters last only a few years, then others can last well over 25 years or so. Ask the neighbors how long their water heaters have lasted.

I do not know how big the tax credit is....or if you are installing it yourself or paying a plumber. Also, are you replacing it with another tank unit, or perhaps a tankless one?

In my Florida home I had a 14 year old tank. Others in the neighborhood were having to replace theirs, although most still had the original ones. In my neighborhood, all the homes were built the same year, with the same 40 gal heater. mine was not leaking, but since I am not there but for only a couple of months a year, I decided on replacing it myself, on MY schedule. I bought a more efficient one and did it myself, so I would not get a frantic call from a neighbor checking my house that I had a leak, and would need to pay someone big bucks for a job I could do myself.

I ended up installing 3 water heaters, one for me and two for my neighbors...

Frank

[echinela]

Thanks Frank.

We have 3 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms (1 with a whirlpool tub that is hardly used). We are a household of 4 people and I have no idea of the water quality. The water heater is in a closet of our finished basement.

I believe the energy tax credit is 30% including labor for an efficient unit and ends on Dec 31st.

[Barking Spider]

IN my area water heaters last 12 - 14 years. The anode rod is usually the thing that goes first, and can cause problems with copper pipes. If the tank isn't leaking, you can prolong the life by installing a new anode rod. You might want to replace the dip tube at the same time.

If the tax credit pays a fair amount of the replacement cost, I say go for it.

[Vichel]

Does your tax credit cover instant gas hot water systems? We changed our tank heater years ago to one of these units and love it. Much more efficient as you're not paying to keep water at a consistent temperature all day long, even when not in use. It only fires up when you need it, and you can control the temperature so you're not heating it hotter than you need. And there's no tank to leak.

Just a suggestion in case it has some merit for your situation.

[faithfulFrank]

Barking Spider is right on, as usual. Theoretically, if one replaces the anode rod on a regular schedule a heater would alost last forever. The fact is though less then 1% of folks ever do.

I just like to replace things on MY schedule, and not wait for an emergency, where I then have to pay more because I cannot be without hot water soon.

If you do it now, you can research prices and models AND installers and get the most bang for your buck. If your water heater leaks on Christmas eve, there are NO deals to be had....plus, your heater is in a finished basement. Hate to see how much damage to carpet, etc of 50 gallons of hot water leaked all over. If you could afford it now, go for it.

Some folks out there are hurting....if they need a water heater, and yours is currently fine, you can sell it cheap on Craigslist and help someone out. once it is leaking, it is worthless.

How nice would it be to put the old one on Craigslist for a low price, then after hearing the person's story about how his water heater just died, and he can't afford a new one and just needs ANYTHING that would work, you could give it to him for nothing, thus blessing a family in need.

Frank

[echinela]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I will shop around and see how much everything will cost. We are not handy so will rely on plumber for full installation, etc. Craigslist is also a great suggestion to get rid of the old unit! I will give it for free if I no longer need it

[TempesT68]

With the tax credit and the age of the unit, I'd go with a new one as well.

[lifelongMOgal]

Originally Posted by echinela

Thanks Frank.

We have 3 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms (1 with a whirlpool tub that is hardly used). We are a household of 4 people and I have no idea of the water quality. The water heater is in a closet of our finished basement.

I believe the energy tax credit is 30% including labor for an efficient unit and ends on Dec 31st.

Rebate on the national level is 30% up to $1,500. If you go the solar water heater route it is 30% the cost of the entire system.

Best thing to do is get a quote for the cost of what you want to buy including installation and run your numbers. As long as you plan on remaining in your present home another 10 yrs. I might be tempted. If you see yourself moving within 5yrs I'd try to nurse this one along with the maint. suggested by the previous posters.

You;d likely be money ahead on the energy rebates to inslate your present water heater, ductwork and your attic rather than to just replace a working water heater.

[cdelena]

We replaced out gas heater and worked hard to qualify for the tax credit. It may be a little late in the year (the credit expires this year) to get started as very few gas units qualify and they are hard to find in some parts of the country.

Although I am very happy with the high efficiency unit we put in, the finances of the deal are not overwhelming. In my case the extra cost (acquisition and installation) over a conventional unit was substantial so even with the credit the payoff will take four to five years.