Introduction
At some point it will happen (usually at 1AM on Sunday). Your water heater will go "kaput". This is a "technical" plumbing term that means the water heater stops working for good.
Water heaters are supposed to have periodic maintenance but all too often they are just left to churn away without maintenance and thanklessly make hot water for us, day in and day out. When they've had enough, they quit due to rust and corrosion.
Replacing a water heater is not as hard as it sounds like it might be, and if you follow this tutorial you'll be back in hot water in no time. Well, plan on a good 4 to 6 hours anyway.
Selecting Your New Water Heater
When selecting your new water heater it's easiest to keep the same fuel type, whether gas or electric. That is the assumption made in this tutorial, that you'll keep the same fuel type as the water heater you're replacing. You can change the size a bit however. For example, let's say you had a 40 gallon and want to go to a 50 gallon. That should not be a problem as long as you have clearance between the heater and the wall.
