If your hot water heater is over 20 years old you may want to replace it. A hot water heater can fail one of two ways. Either you get a cold shower or it starts leaking out into your unit. Replacing you hot water heater before it fails can also help you save on your electric bill. Improved insulation used in new water heaters can be up to 20% more efficient than old heater. Being proactive about hot water heater replacement prevent expensive carpet or wood flooring damage.
Finding a label on the hot water heater telling how old your heater is can be difficult. A good indicator can be found on the energy guide label by looking for the year your old heater was rated.