New homeowners naturally have questions about how to keep their homes in tip top shape. With plumbing maintenance, one common question homeowners want to know is how long do water heaters typically last? The life cycle of your water heater depends upon three factors. It will depend on what type of heater it is, when the water heater was purchased, and how regularly was the water heater serviced.
The two main types of water heaters are storage system (tank) water heaters and instant water heaters (tankless). Tank water heaters are more commonly used in the North America then tankless. Tank water heaters use electricity or gas to heat potable water stored in a storage tank. Tankless water heaters work differently by heating the water as it is passing through. No water is stored. Tankless water heaters while not as common here in the U.S. are becoming more popular because these heaters cost less to maintain and last longer. A tankless water heater can last up to 30 years. A storage system heater will only last at best about 20 years.
Once you determine the type of water heater installed in your home, you can take into account the next factor. When was the heater installed in home? Usually previous home owners will disclose the age of the heater prior to buying the home. If they did not disclose that information, you will have to look at the heater condition, age of the home, and use your best educated guess. Sometimes plumbers will leave a service sticker on the water heater with their contact information. You could try contacting them to see if they may have a rough estimate to the age of the heater by looking up past service history. Once you have the age of the water heater you can subtract this from the estimated remaining life cycle.
Regular maintenance service visits can help prolong the life of a water heater. Sometimes previous homeowners will keep track of service records and pass along the information to the new owners. However most of the time you will not know the service history on the water heater. It is therefore important to schedule maintenance service appointments regularly to get the most life use out of your water heater.
Your water heater’s longevity can increase by simply staying on top of regular service maintenance. Adding a water heater timer to your water heater will increase the water heater life.
It is also wise to start budgeting for a future water heater. That way you are not strapped for cash when the water heater finally does need to be replaced.
14 Comments