I’m on my second hot water tank in my house and it is at the 9yr old mark. When I replaced it last, I paid for the longest warranty tank since installation costs have gone up over the years. Hot water tanks will eventually rust out and leak.

Watching This Old House, there was a segment on extending the life of your hot water tank by replacing the anode rod. This part prevents your tank from rusting prematurely and should be inspected and replaced.

I was able to purchase an anode rod at Lowes. Removing the old anode rod was difficult since it was very tight and I had limited space to work in. Luckily, I had a friend with an impact wrench and compressor and it was needed to get the old rod out. I included a pic of what the old rod looks like after 9 yrs in Metro Vancouver water.