Apply the 50 percent rule the trade uses: if the repair approaches half the cost of a new unit ($1,200 to $3,500 installed for a tank in published guides), replacement usually wins at that age, because the tank itself has four to six years of statistical life left at best. The exception is a cheap control part on a tank with no rust, no sediment roar, and dry fittings. A tank leaking from its body is not a repair conversation at any age; the body is the tank.
Prefer to talk later? Leave your details and an independent local pro will call you back. No charge to you, no obligation.
Paularino Channel Plumbing is a free referral service. Submitting this form connects you with independent local contractors who provide the work.