I think valve life also depends on the water. We seem to get mineral build up here pretty bad. What I can't figure out is why after several years of working fine, the chain will suddenly start getting in the way of the flapper valve and cause the toilet to run. It's like the chain stretches or something. Tightening it up a link usually fixes the issue.
Any recommendations on water heaters? I want to replace mine as preventative maintenance after. They got auto leak detection with autp-shutoff now. Is that worth the extra $$$?
Rheem/Ruud (same company) for the brand. Don't bother with tankless water heaters. They suck. Get an old fashioned one with a tank. The plumber may have to adjust the temps. New heaters default to temps most people wouldn’t consider hot for safety and energy saving reasons. When we had ours installed we initially thought the new heater was broken because it wasn't getting that hot. Turned out it just needed adjusting. I have no idea about the leak prevention stuff. Ask your plumber since they're the ones dealing with them all the time. Which brings me to another point. Have a real plumber you trust install it. Like if you buy it at Home Depot or Lowes or something don't have whatever cut rate subcontractor they use install it. Get a real licensed and insured plumber. Water heaters aren't something to fuck around with.
My heater sits in a pan with a drain going into the plumbing. My Mom had a plumber set up a similar system in her house the last time she got her heater replaced. In theory, it catches the water from a leak and directs it out of the house. In reality, I'm not sure how well it will work. Too much water would overload the pan pretty quickly. Those old electric heaters used to shit themselves pretty fast. I don't know much about those auto shutoff valves but they seem like a good idea. I'm a big believer in water sensors. Had a pipe break in my basement a few weeks ago. Damage was minimal thanks to the alarm that went off.
So... this question was brought on by watching someone else's water heater burst while I was over at their house. That 1" pan is a joke... buys maybe 30 seconds tops. We were on top of it pretty quick and it still caused an estimated $4k in damages lol @cmdrmonkey Thanks for the brand suggestions and plumber tip. I was totally gonna have HD/Lowes setup the install lol @bfun I'm weary about using the failing device to detect and shutoff it's own failure. It seems safer to go with water sensors that trigger a 3rd party shutoff valve. Or even both shutoff valves lol. Crazy how fast that water damage added up, installing a shutoff valve at every sink, toilet, shower would actually be dirt cheap in comparison (but clearly overkill).
We actually bought our heater through our plumber. It's a high-end Rheem. Was a bit cheaper to go through them than big box stores.
My Mom bought her AO Smith through the plumber and it's supposed to be high-end like a Rheem, but her pilot light kept going out. I think the plumber made 4 visits trying to fix that thing and he eventually had to replace the whole heating element. It was all covered of course but still a pain. Also, depending on where you live you may find that your required to install a thermal expansion tank with the new water heater. It's one of those building code changes going around.
You guys still run systems with pilot lights out in the US? Everything is electronic ignition over here now and has been for years. Are your natural gas bills quite low as that's quite a waste isn't it? I'm no gas man, but does having a pilot running 24/7 also increase the risk of bad burn, soot build up etc and as a result Carbon Monoxide? Natural gas boilers will probably be phased out in the UK over the next decade or so in the push for carbon neutrality. Electric systems never seem as efficient for heating the home so still a way to go in my opinion.
Most new home building will include gas and electric options and people tend to prefer gas because it's a good deal cheaper and cleaner. The increased risk of carbon monoxide poisoning is generally mitigated by building codes. The risk of explosion is of course possible. I had a small gas leak outside my house caused by ground heave moving the pipes. Took two visits from the city to get it fixed.
So I moved... and the water heater is 15 years old. I pre-emptively replaced at my last place but I feel stupid now because someone else gets the benefits. Do you guys replace yours before any signs of failure? Don't see any indications of leaks or weird noises.
I replaced mine a few years after I bought my house because it failed. Thankfully it didn't leak everywhere. It just stopped producing hot water. I went with a Rheem.
I think electric are more likely to leak when they fail. My last gas one failed and it didn't leak. I put one of those water heater pans under the new one and it has a pipe that runs to a drain. If it leaks from the bottom the pan should catch it, but anywhere else will probably miss the pan. It's only an inch or two wider than the water heater.