Should I repair or replace my water heater?
Two facts decide it. If water is coming from the bottom seam of the tank itself, it’s a replacement. A failed tank can’t be repaired by anyone. If the leak is at the relief valve, a fitting, or a connection, it’s usually a repair. Then check age: under about six years, repair is normally worth it. Past ten, spending several hundred dollars on a tank near the end of its life rarely is.
Where the water is coming from
- Bottom seam of the tank: replace. The steel has corroded through. There’s no patch.
- Temperature & pressure relief valve: often a repair, but find out why it opened. A T&P valve doing its job is a symptom of excess pressure or temperature, and replacing the valve without finding the cause is treating an alarm.
- Inlet or outlet fittings: usually a repair.
- Drain valve: usually a repair, and a common one after a first flush on an older unit.
The age test
Most tanks carry a date in the serial number. A plumber reads it in seconds. Under six years, repair. Six to ten, it depends on the repair cost against a replacement: if the repair is a meaningful fraction of a new unit, the new unit usually wins. Past ten, with hard water having worked on it the whole time, you’re usually buying a short extension at full price.
Don’t let this be decided at your kitchen counter
A failed water heater is an urgent, uncomfortable problem, and urgency is the condition under which people accept the first number. Get the range before the visit, ask for the repair option and the replacement option priced separately, and ask what warranty comes with each. A contractor who will only price one of the two has made the decision for you.
Where this page cites a utility, permit or housing figure for a specific town, it’s that town’s published data. Your own city’s water report applies to your tap and your city’s building department sets your permit rules; ask us which apply to your address.
The next thing you were going to ask.
Scale-forming water shortens the manufacturer's number. Flushing is the lever you control.
Is a tankless water heater worth it in the East Valley?→Endless hot water and a longer life: against a higher install cost and mandatory descaling.
How much does a plumber cost in the East Valley, AZ?→Service call fees, hourly vs flat-rate, and why the second number is usually the real one.