25 yr old Ruuds, still going, what to do?

Hi Group,

The house I bought a few years ago has two 75 gallon Ruudglas natural gas water heaters and both are 25 yrs old. To my knowledge they had never been drained so I drained some water and didn't get hardly any sediment or bad stuff (we have soft city water). They seem to be running fine but I'm concerned about the age.

How long can I expect 25 yr old Ruudglas heaters to go?

If I go the step of replacing them, what make/spec should I go for? I'm looking for quality, not a bargain.

We are two people in this house. Maybe plan for six people max when we have guests.

Opinions??

Thanks all,
Tom

If it ain't broke don't fix it. I once saw an Old Ruud gas water heater in This Woman's House manufacture date 1956 thing was still running like a champ. The only reason why It was ever changed out was her homeowners insurance would not cover unless the water heater was updated because of age.

Thanks for the reply. I'll keep pulling water from the bottom and makes sure they are working. Regards, Tom

If it's in a location where, If it should leak, could cause damage, then replace it before it does. Average life of a WH is said to be 8-10 yrs. Mine is going on maybe 15 yrs but it's grumbling due to tank sediments.

New heaters are much more efficient
Unless you have a big roman bath tub you plan on using and it's just the 2 of you a 50 gallon maybe all you need. How many bath rooms do you have?

If you have more than 4 than you will probably want to keep the 75

Mr_David,

There are two 75's in the house. We have four full baths and sometimes have guests so I'd say we should plan for a max of maybe six people.

The two heaters are in the attic but they have pans and proper drain piping. They don't grumble or leak so I guess I'll just keep draining (getting nothing objectionable from the drains) and keep an eye on them. Thanks Tom