Replace hot water heater?

[rennyboy]

This may or may not make much sense so please bare with me. I have a Reliance sta-kleen 850 natural gas 50 gallon water heater that was installed in 1991. My friend had a new hot water installed yesterday because his went and his brother said if I wanted he would install it for me for free also. Lowes has 60 gal. natural gas 12yr. warranty for $550,and optional $99 warranty for life. I was thinking of buying it, getting installed for free, get the extended warranty and not worry about it anymore. Is there anyway the hot water heater I have now has much more life in it? Should I just wait it out, anyone ever have this type of heater and how long id it work for them? By the way, we are a family of four, 2 kids under 10. Thanks for any help

[596]

Reliance is a mediocre brand. At 16 years old, it has long outlived its probable 6 year warranty. It has served you well. There is no way to know if it will last 6 more months or 6 more years. But the law of averages is working against you. To paraphrase a line from the Joe Peschi movie "My cousin Vinny": That water heater's biological clock is ticking!

The Whirlpool brand from the blue store is infamous. A class action settlement was just announced regarding problems that have plaqued that brand since the introduction of the FVIR models in 2003. Supposedly the design has been fixed. I wouldn't buy one.

Preferred brands among many plumbers are Bradford White, and Rheem/Ruud.

NO gas water heater will last your lifetime. There is little if any significant quality difference between a heater with a 6 year warranty, and one with a 12 year, or a lifetime warranty. Except of course price. The extra money goes to covering their warranty costs, and is a good money maker for the company and the plumber, because they count on the known fact that VERY FEW people will ever take advantage of the warranty. People move, people forget, people lose their receipt.

If you are the type of guy who will keep track of the paperwork for 10 to 15 years, and expect to be in that home for that long ( most warranties are not transferrable) there may be some peace of mind for you. I would check the fine print to see if the warranty covers the labor of the replacement, or just the tank.

I had a State WH ( State, AO Smith, Reliance, Maytag, Whirlpool, and American, all same parent company). I replaced it a few years ago when it had got to be 16 years old. It was still working, but I decided it was "time".