This was from a 1927 house.
I think this unit is from the 50’s and is still operational!
Apparently these were some of the best ever built, but
they stopped building them like this for obvious reasons…:shock:
Today’s world specializes in planned obsolescence.
Yep, usually 1 day after the warranty runs out 
Not only that but no one repairs anything anymore.
I bought a Kodak DSLR in 1994 for $5,400. It needed work in 2002 so I took it in to get it repaired. It would cost $250 “just to look at it to determine what’s wrong.” Well, there on the counter next to the service desk were new Kodak point & shoots for $199. What’s a guy to do?
Recently my Samsung color laser printer quit working. Took it in for repairs and it would cost $250 “just to look at it to determine what’s wrong.” Well, there in the printer aisle were color laser printers costing anywhere from $49 to $199. What’s a guy to do? (Check the cost of the toner cartridges!)
Yup, thats why they stopped building them so well, they’d go out of bizness if every water heater lasted 6 decades!
Apparently the tank on these was Monel alloy, very high nickel content with some copper too. Almost corrosion proof. Built to last but not to keep those production lines humming! 