Old water heaters.

Actually, make that TWENYT SIX years and 4 months.

That's nothing. My folks have a water heater that is still working after at least 49 years.

mike wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@x1g2000prb.googlegroups.com:

Oh I get it, a rain barrel out in the sun :-)

snipped-for-privacy@x1g2000prb.googlegroups.com:

Sun? What is the.... OH, you mean that glowing disk-shaped thing in the sky that is sometimes seen filtered through the clouds? Yeah, they don't see much of that in the Pacific Northwet.

The tank is an electric model, cranked to thermonuclear temps.

I think the poster meant "boiling water" on the stove?

It made for a nice warm bath in those days.

Yeah, but what is that in American years? Or dog years?

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in news:hlcpmi $34l$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:

Or Earth years vs Mercury years.?

innews: snipped-for-privacy@x1g2000prb.googlegroups.com:

It mostly depends on your water quality. In central Indiana where I grew up, the burner and clockwork parts usually crapped out before the tank did. 20+ years was routine.

Guess I oughta check the year on mine, here in SW MI. Pretty sure it is ten years plus at this point. Seems to work fine, and so signs of any leaks.

-- aem sends...

Yes they last, and nobody cared about efficency so they were not designed for it. Gas units get less efficent every year from scale, not electric though. Most new regular grade Ng tanks only have an EF rating now of 55-60, and that is their new efficency rating 55-60%. Then factor in a dirty burner, wasting pilot light and unefficent design of 20 years ago and you have a bigger gas bill. I pulled out a

Well, the efficiency isn't TOO bad. I heat the entire house and the hot water for under $700 per year in gas. 100 sq ft 2 story plus finished basement in Central Ontario.

I bet Its under 45% so its crap.

I bet Its under 45% so its crap.

Unless you are paying to cool your house the heat *lost* actually is lost inside your house ands the heat from the standing pilot gets absorbed into the water you were going to heat anyway.

Either cheap electricity or expensive gas could sway the cost factor to electric however usually gas is the cheapest.

It's staying 'till it leaks, and then I'll look at higher efficiency. Replacingg my 30+ year old furnace with a non-condensing high efficiency (tempstar 80+) furnace didn't cut my gas bill a penny. It DID lower my electric bill. So I'm not going to pay a huge premium for a few points in efficiency. DEFINITELY won't go to electric.