re: Hot water heater recommendations

quote:

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I'd lean to replacing it for the piece of mind.
In the attic - 17 years old - right time of year at the present time. You don't want that thing to blow up there!

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Yep. Lifespan is 10-12 or so years. If you don’t flush them about once a year they get sediment buildup and if you don’t change the anode rod about every 3-4 years it will corrode enough to not be able to protect the lining and your heater will then corrode.

If these things haven’t been done and it is in the attic I would consider replacing. I replaced two 50 gallon gas that were 13 years old in my attic a year ago and I used AO Smith-they are good heaters. The linings were rusting and the sediment was pretty bad. It’s cheaper than the alternative-leaks or exploding water heater in second story attic.

If you haven’t done any maintenance you should at least flush it and change anode. Those two things will pretty much tell you the shape it is in.