My 20 year old water heater finally gave up the ghost

Last Tuesday the pilot light on my Rheem water heater just wouldn't stay lit. It was that old 50 gallon thing from 2004 that came with the house when I bought it in 2010. I spent 4 hours messing with the thermocouple and cleaning out the burner, but the rust flakes in the bottom were so bad it was done. Ended up dropping $1,200 on a new unit from Lowe's and had my buddy help me swap it out Saturday morning. Anyone else had a older water heater just quit without warning like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

harperschmidt28d ago

That pilot light not staying lit is a classic sign the tank's rusted through from the inside out. It's funny how we just expect these things to keep working until they don't, kind of like how a car will run fine until one day it just won't start. Seems like everything these days has a hidden expiration date that only reveals itself when it's too late to plan for.

fiona33028d ago

Had the exact same thing happen with my old water heater last winter, pilot light kept going out no matter how many times I cleaned the thermocouple. Ended up replacing the whole unit after a plumber confirmed the rust was eating the tank from the inside out. Bought a new one with a longer warranty this time, figured it's cheaper than waking up to a flooded basement again.