A tank water heater rarely fails without warning, but the biggest warning is one most people never check: its age. Tanks commonly last somewhere around 8 to 12 years. In Tri-Cities neighborhoods built in the 2000s and 2010s, a lot of original heaters are reaching that range at the same time. Here's how to tell where yours stands.
Where Is the Date on a Water Heater?
On the rating plate, the sticker on the side of the tank listing the model, serial number, capacity and ratings. Some labels print the manufacture date plainly. More often it's coded into the serial number, usually in the first few characters as a year-and-month or year-and-week code, and some brands use letters for the year or month. The manufacturer's website or customer-service line can decode a serial number in a minute if the pattern isn't obvious.
If the plate is unreadable, other clues help: the installation date sometimes written on the tank or a permit sticker nearby, or the home's build year if the heater has never been replaced.
Signs a Tank Is Near the End
| Sign | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Rusty or brown hot water | The tank lining or anode rod is corroding |
| Rust or moisture at the base | The tank may already be weeping |
| Popping or rumbling | Sediment built up on the bottom |
| Hot water runs out sooner | Sediment taking up space, or a failing element |
| Water from the relief-valve pipe | Excess pressure or temperature, or a failing valve |
| A damp floor around the tank | Check the fittings first, then the tank itself |
A leak from the fittings on top can often be fixed. Water coming from the tank body itself usually means replacement.
Where the Tank Sits Changes the Risk
- Garage: the most common spot in the area. A failure floods the slab and often runs under the wall into the next room.
- Closet or utility room inside the house: a failure goes straight into finished flooring and walls. A drain pan plumbed to a drain is worth having.
- Attic: less common, but a failure comes down through the ceiling. A pan and a leak sensor are strongly recommended.
- Crawl space or under a manufactured home: leaks go unnoticed longest.
What Should You Do With an Old Water Heater?
If it's past about ten years and showing any of the signs above, plan the replacement rather than waiting for it to fail. Have a plumber look at it, replace it on your schedule, and add a drain pan or water leak sensor if it's in finished space. Tankless units are another option worth asking a plumber about. In the meantime, know where its cold-water shutoff is: on top of the tank.
When It Fails Anyway
- Close the cold-water valve on top of the tank.
- Turn off the power at the breaker for an electric heater, or set a gas heater's control to off.
- Keep clear of the hot water pooling around the base.
- Photograph the tank and the damage, and keep the failure in mind for the insurer: the water damage from a sudden failure is usually covered, the worn-out tank itself usually isn't. See what adjusters look for.
- Get the water out and the floor dried. Water under laminate, cabinets and the next room's drywall is the part that costs money. See water heater & appliance leaks.
Around the Area
Tanks of the same age cluster by neighborhood: newer subdivisions in Pasco, Kennewick and South Richland, and older homes where the tank has been swapped several times in Prosser and central Richland. If a neighbor's tank just failed, yours may be the same age. More on the water damage in Richland page.
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