Old water heater finally gave out in the middle of a shower

My 40 gallon Rheem from 2008 started leaking at 6 AM last Tuesday while I was rinsing shampoo out. Had to drain it, haul it to the curb, and install a new one by myself since my helper was on another job. Anyone else had a water heater fail at the worst possible time?

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3 Comments

kai_webb913mo ago

Nah, I actually think 2008 for a water heater is pretty good honestly. Most of them are lucky to hit 10-12 years and you got 16 out of that Rheem. Sure it sucks to have it die mid-shampoo but at least it didn't flood your basement or anything. I'd call that a win, not the worst timing lol.

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annajenkins3mo ago

Hang on, are we really calling a water heater exploding (well, leaking) during your shower a "win"? I get that 16 years is decent for a water heater, but being stuck with soap in your hair and scrambling to shut things off at 6 AM is still pretty miserable timing in my book.

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jakeb813mo ago

Yeah @kai_webb91 nailed it, 16 years is absolutely insane for a water heater and you definitely got your money's worth. I had the EXACT same thing happen with mine at 6 AM a couple years ago, cold water blast right in the middle of rinsing. It's miserable in the moment but honestly a little cold shock wakeup beats dealing with a flooded basement any day of the week.

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