The safest type of water heater is electric water heaters as they produce no carbon monoxide or have the potential to leak gas which could blow up.
However electric water heaters are more costly to operate and take longer to heat the water and in a power outage you would not have hot water.
When installed and vented correctly the gas water heaters and propane water heaters are just as safe.
The best water heater to never run out of hot water is a tankless natural gas or propane water heater as they instantly heat the water and constantly heat the water as you use it so that you never run out of hot water.
When you're done with the hot water the tankless water heater stops heating the water which then saves you money as you're not heating a tank of water that you're not using.
Electric water heaters last between 10 years to 15 years.
Most often it will be the electric heating elements or the thermostat that gives out before the tank.
If your electric water heater is 10 years old or older then you should consider replacing it soon as the tank could start leaking.
However if your electric water heater is less than 10 years old and is not heating then you can buy replacement heating elements and thermostats for it to fix it.
To replace the electric water heater elements you'll need a socket designed to remove the electric water heater eleements which you can buy at hardware stores.
Just make sure the water heater is drained of water before replacing the water heater elements or you'll have a flood.
Sometimes when an electric water heater is not heating up it can be a tripped breaker or the thermostat has gone bad.
In other cases the little red button on the water heater thermostat may have tripped due to overheating and caused the water heater to stop working.
The little red button to an electric water heater is most often located underneath the top access panel for the thermostat and heating elements.
To reset the water heater button you shut the breaker off to the water heater and then push the button in and then turn the breaker back on and the water heater should work again.
If the water heater still does not heat up then the water heater elements are most likely bad and need replaced or you need to replace the entire water heater with a new one.
Signs that your water heater is going bad and needs replaced include.
Leaking From the Tank. There's no going back from this one.
Dirty, Rusty Water. This is another sign that the inside of your tank has corroded.
Visible Rust on the Tank.
Less and Less Hot Water.
If your tank water heater is more than 10 years old, it may be time to consider replacing it.
With proper maintenance, a tank water heater tank should last six to 12 years.
A tankless water heater can last for more than 20 years.
Tankless water heaters typically have a lifespan of 20 years or more.
Traditional water heaters with standing water tanks can last around 10 to 15 years before you notice signs of age.
Regardless of what type of water heater tank you have, every system needs regular maintenance.
Usually, you need to check your water heater once or twice per year.
Gas, electric and tankless water heaters need to be flushed every 6-12 months.
This prevents the buildup of sediment, rust and corrosion.
Traditional water heaters that are more than 15 years old are likely to be much less efficient than new ones.
A tank-type water heater has a useful life of about 10 to 15 years, and the unit's efficiency is going to decline with time.