They're usually not too awful to replace. Ours was like $425 for a better one than we started with and it was installed same-day...

We're thinking tank-less. They cost more, but they not only pay for themselves over their lifetime, they last longer than conventional water heaters. Price and time-frame of installation will help make that decision. Not to mention space requirements -- our current water heater is in an area already crowded by our furnace and big chest freezer.

Is your new one gas or electric?

We just replaced with a larger, more modern gas equivalent. Cheaper to operate, faster, a bigger water supply - but still a tank-style. I've had a few folks tell me that they weren't able to get "really-hot hot water" with their tankless systems but I have no direct experience. They seem so appealing that if they work well, I can't imagine why everyone doesn't use them now that the costs have dropped to the $600-900 range.

I do know that you have to specifically get a high-capacity unit to do more than "one thing at a time" - like run 2 showers, or a shower and dishwasher, or dishwasher and laundry - stuff like that.

The reason everyone doesn't use them is that hardly anyone in the US thinks longer than the next paycheck. They'll happily buy some cheap POS for 10% less, then complain when the gas bill comes every month. They decide whether to buy a big-ass SUV based on the price of gas this week.

In most cases it's silly to replace a working unit to get a more efficient unit, because the payback (in all ways) is very long, but buying an efficient replacement for a dead unit is sensible.

As it turns out, in our case, not so much. Tank-less heaters are supposed to be installed on an outside wall. The best wall for our house would be the back wall, but if we ever get our $@#&! addition, the back wall will be the back wall no longer. And if we pick a different wall, we'd need to many feet of new pipe run. After discussing our options with the plumber, all three of us agree getting a conventional heater now with the goal of replacing it with a tank-less heater if and when we get the $@#&! addition.

And in the time it's taken me to write this (what with having to have several conversations about dogs, trade schools, and who-knows-what-else with the plumber), the new tank is now in place and filling with water.

Wow, you don't already have enough $@#&! so you're getting a $@#&! addition?

You must be the only people I know who don't think they already have enough $@#&! in their lives.

In the end, we opted for a new 50-gallon one. I hope it's more efficient than the old one. Either way, we need to stop by Home Despot and pick up a nice new jacket for it.

And possibly a cravat.

I take it that means you no longer know the "numbers" that are used to rate the efficiency for the old one? I'm _sure_ the new one's more efficient. The spouse wanted me to agree to a tankless one 10+ years ago when we had to replace ours, but couldn't convince me that it would give me warm enough water for a happy shower (or to run the dishwasher), or, once the 2nd shower is in progress, more than a trickle (since it _will_ generate a certain temperature). The next thought was to have a pre-heater tank which would get the water up to some low temperature (45? 65?, but better than 32) which would then feed into the tankless. One thing I was concerned about though, (since we've already been in this house longer than the spouse expected) is being able to resell with "something weird" installed.

Oh, sweetie, that's no way to start the week! I hope you haven't caught our appliance virus. We lost a refrigerator and a TV in the last week. The good thing being we had extras.

I don't know much about water heaters, but I do know bigger is better.

No fun. But glad it was on a day when you could find it shortly after it started _and_ get it fixed completely. We discovered ours was leaking before we actually moved into the house, and _thought_ we'd turned off the input, but instead we'd broken the valve. Luckily it wasn't leaking much, and once back from the convention we were in the process of leaving for, we arranged to get Sears to come by with a fancier, larger tank.