Quote:
Originally Posted by sa226
You could do some investigating and trouble shooting, but the life of gas hot water tanks are about 15 years anyway. So depending on what's wrong, you may have to just bite the bullet.
Disclaimer: Im not a plumber and don't know what's wrong.
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You're right, he's living on borrowed time.
I would do the following;
check dip tube, probably the issue.
Remove and clean the burner, it's probably not burning evenly.
while the dip tube is out check the anode too.
If you have access to an inspection camera stick it in and look around. You proably have a ton of calcium build up in there which will reduce capacity. Mine is 8 years old and has probably got a gallons worth in it. This is also where corrosion begins inside the tank so the more deposits you have the more chance there is of it rusting through.
I got lucky this winter, mine was leaking and I thought it was a goner but it turned out the drain valve had cracked. I pulled it and replaced it with a brass one, and had a look inside. It was actually in great condition but the build up is concerning.
A conventional water heater is only about $500 and you could do most of the install yourself and hire a gasfitter to do the hookup. It's worth the investment, if you can't do it now put it on the short list and start saving.
BTW, If you haven't been flushing it once or twice a year, and you go do it now you could break some sediment off and actually accelerate the corrosion process, so be prepared.
Good luck.