Rheem Water heater

Good Morning,
i inspected a home which was built in 1972. It has an electric Rheem water heater whose serial number will not register on any of the web sites that I am accustomed to using. The serial number is : RO 272 61180. Can someone help out with determining the age of this dinosaur?
Thanks in advance.

i would say 72 how ever if it looks like it is over 12 years just state it has reached the design life and move on .

Thanks, Wayne, I agree, and will phrase it that way, but, I would like to know the age, more for my information. I keep hearing about how the “occasional” water heater reached ___ age, but most only last 12-15 years. The best that I have hit, so far, is 25 years old.

Remember that it is also common for failure at 3 to 5 years. I have seen 1-3 year failures. Ever wonder why most manufacturers don’t warranty their WH’s past 6 years? I like to point out that nice big warranty sticker they slap on the side and say… “If the Manufacturer won’t warrantee it past X years, why would I ever claim it will last longer? With proper maintenance, it may last decades, but then again, it likely will not. Be aware of the potential risk, and have a replacement plan in place”.

I disagree with all of you … I say 15-20.

I had two Rheem electric tank type water heaters that both began leaking within a month of one another at 10 years. And have seen many in the field fail earlier than that.

I tell clients that I personally do not trust any tank type water heater for more than 10 years. If they’re located where a leak is likely to cause damage, I proactively replace them at 10 years.

Rheem makes GE electric water heaters.
A big proud sticker on it says 6 year warranty . :roll:

Maybe 20, possibly 21… Quite aged I say

I’d say its about 15 - 19 years old.

I’ve seen water heaters last 25+ years in the field. Water heater warranty length is dictated by quality and length of the anode rod or sacrificial material. Change this rod out on a regular basis and the tank will last a very long time. Water quality is also a major factor with plumbing fixture longevity.

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