06-25-2011, 09:54 PM
Why do you want to replace the water heater? They will last pretty much forever if you have the sacrificial anode rod changed about every 6 years. This is why all water heaters come with either 6 or 12 year warranties. They are all basically the same but the 6 year ones have one anode rod and the 12 year ones have two. The water heater will start corroding as soon as the anode rod is used up and if you don't change it will spring a leak. Most people don't understand this simple fact and buy entire new water heaters instead of doing a relatively simple and cheap anode rod changeout. Don't waste your money...just call the plumber and tell him to install two anode rods and flush the sediment out of the tank instead.