Tank Water Heaters

Sizing is where most water heater regrets start. Too small and the third shower of the morning runs cold; too large and you pay to keep water hot that you never use. The right size depends on your peak-hour demand — how much hot water your household uses in its busiest single hour. As a rough guide, a 40-gallon tank suits one to two people, 50 gallons fits a family of three or four, and larger households or homes with soaking tubs often need 60 to 80 gallons. Fuel type matters too: gas and propane units recover much faster than electric, so a smaller gas tank can outperform a larger electric one.

We size your replacement from how your household actually lives, not from whatever happens to be on the truck. And because our plumbers work under a Maine Master Plumber license (MS90020232) and are not paid on commission, the recommendation you get is the size you need — nothing bigger.

Tank water heaters last about 10 to 12 years. If yours is leaking from the tank itself, that is the end — the inner tank has corroded through and no repair can fix it. Short of a tank leak, the math is simple: when a repair costs more than half the price of a new unit on a heater past its 8th year, replacement is usually the smarter spend. Rusty hot water, rumbling or popping sounds from sediment buildup, and steadily longer recovery times are all signs the tank is near the end.

Replacing proactively also lets you schedule the work on your terms instead of taking a cold-shower emergency — and if your old unit is in a finished basement, it avoids a failure flood. If a repair genuinely makes sense, our water heater repair service will tell you so.