It’s always going to be better (and less expensive) to plan ahead for a replacement, even if your old one still seems to be working just fine.
If your water heater is out in a garage or another area that isn’t climate-controlled, it will have to work harder to heat your water, which will cause it to die more quickly.
Fortunately, there are ways to lessen the impact. Start by testing your water quality. If you have hard water, you can soften it to lengthen the useful life of your water heater.
If you have a conventional storage water heater and use a lot of hot water, you might upgrade to a larger tank—it’ll last longer. If you have or want a tankless water heater, find the best size for your household by figuring out what temperature rise and flow rate you need.
Manufacturers will typically provide longer warranties for better-quality units. Look for a unit with at least a 10-year warranty.
While you can have a pro come out and perform basic maintenance on your water heater, this is also something you can easily do yourself if you want to save a little money.
The US Department of Energy also recommends flushing a quart of water from the storage tank once every 3 months to keep sediment from building up. This makes draining a much easier job![14] X Trustworthy Source U. S. Department of Energy Official site for the U. S. Department of Energy, which provides resources related to energy safety, conservation, and efficiency Go to source
To check the pressure valve, shut off the power and cold-water supply to your unit. Place a bucket under the pipe connected to the valve (it’ll be on the top or side of your tank). Lift the valve’s tab to let some water out, then let it go. If water keeps flowing after you let it go, call a pro and get it replaced. [16] X Research source {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/2/2a/How-Long-Does-a-Water-Heater-Last-Step-14Bullet1. jpg/v4-460px-How-Long-Does-a-Water-Heater-Last-Step-14Bullet1. jpg”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/2/2a/How-Long-Does-a-Water-Heater-Last-Step-14Bullet1. jpg/v4-728px-How-Long-Does-a-Water-Heater-Last-Step-14Bullet1. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">
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<br />\n</p></div>"} As far as temperature is concerned, just make sure the water coming out of your tap matches the temperature setting on your water heater. If they don’t match, call a pro to come and look at your unit. {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/9/9b/How-Long-Does-a-Water-Heater-Last-Step-14Bullet2-Version-2. jpg/v4-460px-How-Long-Does-a-Water-Heater-Last-Step-14Bullet2-Version-2. jpg”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/9/9b/How-Long-Does-a-Water-Heater-Last-Step-14Bullet2-Version-2. jpg/v4-728px-How-Long-Does-a-Water-Heater-Last-Step-14Bullet2-Version-2. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">
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Be careful with this if your water heater is still under warranty. Anode replacement voids some warranties—call the manufacturer before you schedule the work. [18] X Research source
If you live in a warm climate where it seldom (if ever) gets below freezing, this might seem like overkill. But the water in your tank is around 120 °F (49 °C)—you’re still going to have some ambient heat loss, even in a relatively warm space.
