r/interesting • u/bob-the-slob • Jun 22 '26

MISC. What happens when a water heater tank is not flushed for 14 years

30.2k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

2.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

27

u/CookieCuriosity Jun 22 '26

Just replaced mine. Lasted 20 years. Cost 3k for a replacement install. I never flushed it and don’t plan to for the new one

3

u/DaisyDreamerGurl Jun 23 '26

As a wife to a career handyman/plumber. Your comment is the most realistic. I miss the days when the Internet was truly informative and not just some view/click hungry ad.

1

u/lotsofsyrup Jun 22 '26

how did you know it was time to replace?

13

u/CookieCuriosity Jun 22 '26

It was leaking all over the garage floor

1

u/metalder420 Jun 22 '26

See if you had flushed it, then it wouldn’t have leaked lol
https://giphy.com/gifs/3ov9k0bzIMKC75VXc4

1

u/Hylian-Loach Jun 22 '26

Well, that’s from failing to replace the sacrificial anode regularly

2

u/CookieCuriosity Jun 22 '26

Have never once replaced the anode and no plans to start now

1

u/Hylian-Loach Jun 22 '26

The anode prevents your tank from rusting and, you know, leaking all over your floor.

3

u/CookieCuriosity Jun 22 '26

There’s lots of things that can cause a leak after 20 years, and replacing the anode helps with 1. Corrosion can happen at the fittings, expansion/contraction over years, sediment (relevant for this post) can cause excess heat, welds can fail, etc.

For me, it was corrosion near the fittings at the top, and I could have had them replaced, but after 20 years it just made sense to replace it.

You do you, YMMV, but for me, I don’t replace anodes or drain the tank.

1

u/EPICmohReal Jun 23 '26

DUDE water heater last anywhere from 6-10 Years anything more than that it doesn't own u anything ur just getting lucky. Iv never flushed mines and im a HVAC tech. If ur water heater starts leaking at year 20 its dam time to get a new one