# What's the oldest Water Heater you have ever replaced?



## smythers1968 (Feb 4, 2009)

Went and looked at a Water Heater the other day not for a leak but they couldn't get it to maintain a pilot.

Soon as I changed the thermocouple I started getting a lot of smoke from the draft hood. Started looking at the flue pipe and is was single wall all the way out a side wall. Flue sloped backwards and clearances all wrong from combustibles.

Talked them into an electric water heater.

Cute little Rheem water heater 47 yrs old.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

smythers1968 said:


> Went and looked at a Water Heater the other day not for a leak but they couldn't get it to maintain a pilot.
> 
> Soon as I changed the thermocouple I started getting a lot of smoke from the draft hood. Started looking at the flue pipe and is was single wall all the way out a side wall. Flue sloped backwards and clearances all wrong from combustibles.
> 
> ...



Wow, you'd be quite the car salesman. Pretty sure changing out a non-leaking water heater that old is a sin or something lolz jk.



I wouldn't have changed it just to see how long much longer it would last. Were they weekenders? Could you have changed the flue piping and gotten it working correctly?


The oldest I have changed was probably 60-70yrs, electric. We regularly change out 20, 30, and 40 yr old electric hot water heaters. Some really old cold water heaters too. :biggrin: The oldest around still working are 3 or 4 like 80 year old electrics. They are about 6-1/2' tall, dark olive drab like a ww2 jeep, and they octagonal or hexagonal, I forget which. The first time I saw one I thought it was a shower stall as the local police barracks had a dark olive drab shower stall but we replaced that a year or two ago.








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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Does not pertain to industry. Makes fun of other religious beliefs as a gag.


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## CaptainBob (Jan 3, 2011)

Not the oldest one I have ever done, but the oldest one lately, an old Sears from the 1970's


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## V.A Hydro-ooter (Oct 14, 2018)

You guys must have some good water over there. I think the oldest I've seen was 25 years old. Most I replace are 10 to 15 years old. They're usually pretty corroded after that much time.
Heck, even the one at my house rotted out at a bit under 4 years. It was a piece of crap Bradford White I got from home Depot since they were the only place open at 8 PM. I made sure to flush it yearly but never replaced the anode rods. 
I'll install a water softener one of these days...


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## Plumbus (Aug 4, 2008)

A couple weeks ago I demoed 2 Hoyt copper lined heaters.
As far as I know, they were still in working order.
The controls looked a a bit scary. No relief valve 
They stopped making them in the early '70's.
They didn't have relief valve ports, which were required in my area since at least 1970.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Plumbus said:


> A couple weeks ago I demoed 2 Hoyt copper lined heaters.
> As far as I know, they were still in working order.
> The controls looked a a bit scary. No relief valve
> They stopped making them in the early '70's.
> They didn't have relief valve ports, which were required in my area since at least 1970.





Just put one on both the hot and cold tappings. The chances of both sides corroding closed at the same time has to be nil.










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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Probably 15 years ago I replaced an electric heater that was original to the house. It was a block house built in ‘52. They had built shelving around it that I had to rip out... you couldn’t even service it. When I was finally able to get it out there was obvious that they built the block walls around it.

I see 2-3 old heaters from ‘50s and ‘60s a year that are still working good, all electric.


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

Just came back from yellow stone park and stayed in a small cabin
along the lake... The cabin was built in the mid 20s.. and we were very lucky just to drive into the park and actually find a place to stay with no reservations.... it was a little rough but beggers cant be choosers.. had a great time staying there for 2 nights....

This Old Smith electric 
heater was dated 1960.... It still worked but was very, very hot... If you look close on the top left you can see the old 
t+p valve installed on the hot water line going out of the unit.....

I really had my mis-givings about it but it never blew up while we were staying there:vs_laugh:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/2ayHuhhgXXh1FFcL6

https://photos.app.goo.gl/NUiaPzszC2QGjAxx8


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## CaptainBob (Jan 3, 2011)

V.A Hydro-ooter said:


> You guys must have some good water over there. I think the oldest I've seen was 25 years old. Most I replace are 10 to 15 years old. They're usually pretty corroded after that much time.
> Heck, even the one at my house rotted out at a bit under 4 years. It was a piece of crap Bradford White I got from home Depot since they were the only place open at 8 PM. I made sure to flush it yearly but never replaced the anode rods.
> I'll install a water softener one of these days...



Depends on where you are here in MN.. Some water is pretty good, some really bad... Most heaters I change out are in the 15-20 year old range...


Now you say piece of crap Bradford...from Home Depot...are you sure about that? Bradford says they are only sold at plumbing wholesalers... Sold by professionals for professionals...


I mainly use them because I think they are a pretty good heater and only available through plumbers


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## V.A Hydro-ooter (Oct 14, 2018)

CaptainBob said:


> V.A Hydro-ooter said:
> 
> 
> > You guys must have some good water over there. I think the oldest I've seen was 25 years old. Most I replace are 10 to 15 years old. They're usually pretty corroded after that much time.
> ...


 My mistake, it's actually a Rheem. I'll edit my post. Thanks for the heads up.


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## CaptainBob (Jan 3, 2011)

Ok that's what I thought. I occasionally use Rheems, but only through my supplier, the "pro grade"...although I don't know if there is any difference between what is sold at HD and plumbing suppliers... I'm thinking MasterMark would know... he's our site resident Rheem expert...


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## V.A Hydro-ooter (Oct 14, 2018)

CaptainBob said:


> Ok that's what I thought. I occasionally use Rheems, but only through my supplier, the "pro grade"...although I don't know if there is any difference between what is sold at HD and plumbing suppliers... I'm thinking MasterMark would know... he's our site resident Rheem expert...


 Most plumber I talk to don't hold Rheem in high esteem around here. Based on my personal experience I don't know if I would ever recommend one over an A.O. Smith or State Select, which I think are made by the same company.
I'm guessing you could find just as many people who wouldn't recommend either of those brands because of their own experience. I just like sticking to what I know works until it doesn't.
I even made sure to get one with the brass drain plug which was more expensive and supposedly indicates it's of at least marginally better quality. It was the "performance platinum" upgraded version.
The one it replaced was a 10 year old heater but I don't remember what brand.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

They are all made from crap dodge steel. It's money. The manufacturers know they have reached a plateau and will start to shrink if they build 40 year tanks. Even before the new epa requirments we were replacing 60's and 80's with 50's. Heating elements are very reliable these days and with the better insulation a 50 is fine for most families of 4. If it isn't we install two because most don't want the extra cost of the heat pump on top. Many houses around here with crawl spaces just have a 30 below each bathroom.


If a company started offering double or triple thick 30 gallon water heaters and advertised them to be used in pairs I bet they would sell like hot cakes. At the very least the diy market would eat them up. Easy to move and install, save money not paying a plumber, and they will last longer. And when one starts to leak you valve it off and use the other alone while you replace the other. Never go without hot water.


You know what does last forever? Commercial haet exchangers. You know the 8" steel pipes with a copper coil in them to be used with a boiler. Last I knew boilers still lasted a couple decades.

https://www.boilersupplies.com/bell...ssett-water-to-water-u-tube-heat-exchanger/25


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Or find an old copper one 


https://www.ebay.com/itm/254237661128


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## Dpeckplb (Sep 20, 2013)

Oldest water heater 1957, oldest boiler 1923. I have pictures of the boiler somewhere. I’ll try and find


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## MASTRPLUMB (Mar 22, 2019)

Back in the 80's I changed out at two different homes, two HOYT'S, 
with 4 digit serial numbers copper tanks not leaking but the gas controls 
were bad and not replaceable because too old,
on the first one I called the factory they said parts could not be replaced :sad2:


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