# Rust on the bottom of my water heater, bad?



## abefroman (Jan 18, 2009)

I noticed some rust on the bottom of my water heater.

Just a little bit all the way around, and then a couple spots have about a half inch of paint bubbling, some I'm guessing its rusted behind the paint.

Is this bad? Or is there a liner inside anyway and I don't have to worry about leaking?

Im not sure how old it is, but the energy saver sticker references 1994, so it either from that year or after.

TIA


----------



## Termite (Apr 13, 2008)

It could be rusting through, but it could very well be rust due to drips or humidity or (flooding?). Might be worth checking the anode rod in the tank to see if it is all gone. 10 years is probably a fair life for a water heater these days, depending on water and maintenance of course. If yours is 15 it might be time to replace it. Its a fun and fairly easy DIY job.


----------



## abefroman (Jan 18, 2009)

thekctermite said:


> It could be rusting through, but it could very well be rust due to drips or humidity or (flooding?). Might be worth checking the anode rod in the tank to see if it is all gone. 10 years is probably a fair life for a water heater these days, depending on water and maintenance of course. If yours is 15 it might be time to replace it. Its a fun and fairly easy DIY job.


Thanks! Is the year on the energy save sticker pretty much within a couple years of how old it is? It says "Based on 1994 US Goverment national average cost."


----------



## Termite (Apr 13, 2008)

Hmmm...Can't answer that for you. Wish I knew. Guess it depends on how often they update the gov't standards.


----------



## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

Rust on the outside does not necessarily mean the tank is rusted through.

Dampness in a basement will result in metal things rusting. Since moisture often comes through the floor or walls, objects or parts of objects near the floor or wall are likely to rust first.

Toilet paper is particularly good at soaking up small amounts of water and showing a visible mark revealing that the water was present.

A typical hot water tank has a liner inside but that usually develops cracks long before before the tank itself may rust through.


----------

