Video · Water Heaters
How Long Do Water Heaters Last, and When It's Time for New
How long do water heaters last? A tank usually gets about 8 to 12 years; a tankless unit, kept descaled, often reaches 20. This clip shows a tankless going up on a basement wall, with the signs a tank is done alongside.
Job footageSwiftPro
- Topic
- Water Heaters
- Length
- 0:38
- Posted
- September 23, 2026
- Shot by
- The SwiftPro crew, Northern Virginia
What you’re seeing in this video
A tech in a black cap and gloves stands on a ladder in a basement, torch in hand, soldering copper pipe overhead. Below him, gloved hands tighten the piping into the bottom of a new wall-hung tankless water heater.
New copper runs to the unit and white PVC vent pipe heads out of the top. On-screen notes list the signs a tank needs replacing: age, hot water that runs out or swings in temperature, rusty water, rumbling or popping, leaks and repeat repairs.
Why it matters in your house
- Check the serial number on your tank's label. If it's past 10 years and showing any of those signs, plan the replacement before it plans itself on a weekend.
- Hard water shortens both kinds. Flushing a tank once a year and descaling a tankless unit on schedule are the cheapest ways to reach the long end of the range.
- A tankless unit hangs on the wall and frees up floor space, but it needs proper venting, a correctly sized gas line and service valves to live a long life.
What are the signs a water heater needs replacing?
Age past 10 years on a tank, rusty or discolored hot water, rumbling or popping when it heats, water around the base, hot water that runs out faster than it used to, and repairs that keep coming. Any leak from the tank body itself means replace. Two or three of the others on an older unit usually do too.
Want it done at your place? See Water Heaters at SwiftPro or call (703) 997-9757.
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