I finally replaced my water heater in Phoenix after it leaked for 2 weeks

My water heater started leaking back in March and I just kept putting a bucket under it thinking I could stretch another month out of it. Then last Tuesday it dumped 40 gallons all over my garage floor at 3am and ruined a bunch of camping gear I had stored. I spent the whole next day ripping out the old one and hauling it to the dump. Has anyone else tried to squeeze one more year out of a failing appliance and regretted it?

3 comments

3 Comments

lewis.troy21d ago

Man honestly I used to be the type that would push appliances until they literally died. But your story changed my mind. I had a water heater in a rental house that was making weird noises for like 6 months and I just ignored it. Then it blew at 2am too and flooded the tenant's basement. Cost me $3k in repairs plus the replacement. Now I replace anything over 10 years old the second it shows signs of trouble. That 40 gallons of camping gear loss sucks big time.

emma_clark20d ago

I learned my lesson the HARD way with a washing machine. Started making this grinding noise and I just threw a rug over it to muffle the sound. Three months later the drum seized up mid cycle with a full load of soaking wet clothes. Took me two days to get everything out and the machine weighed a TON. Now I do the same thing as you - the moment an appliance starts acting weird past its warranty, I start shopping for a replacement immediately. That camping gear story hurts to hear though, I know how much that stuff costs to replace.

irismartinez20d ago

Oh man, @lewis.troy I read something similar on a home repair forum where a guy's water heater sounded like a coffee percolator for months before it let go. Flooded his whole garage and took out his wife's car. Makes you wonder how many warning signs we all just shrug off until it's too late.