Troubleshooting > Quick > Water
Quality Affects Water Heater Tank Life

Many factors bear on water heater life. In general, the cleaner the water, the longer the tank lasts. In a nearby region, there are two water districts. One draws from a dammed river in the Sierra Nevada. The other draws from the Sacramento River, which is a giant agricultural drain. Not only is there more stuff in the Sacramento water; the water company has to add more stuff to it to make it drinkable. In that one, tanks last 6-10 years. In the district with clean water, they last from 12-30 years or more. Other factors: quality of the tank itself and how many people are using it.