{"id":"water-heater-electric-tank","version":"0.3.0","classification":{"uniformat":"D2020"},"names":["Water heater, electric, storage tank"],"aliases":["electric hot water tank","electric water heater"],"service_life":{"median_years":13.5,"range_years":[12,15],"range_basis":"source_spread"},"pm_tasks":[{"task":"Drain tank and flush out sediment","frequency":"P1Y","reference":"TM 5-692-1 Maintenance of Mechanical and Electrical Equipment at Command, Control, Communications, Computer, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) Facilities: Recommended Maintenance Practices","url":"https://www.wbdg.org/FFC/ARMYCOE/COETM/tm_5_692_1.pdf","page":99,"checklist":"Table 12-1 Domestic water system"},{"task":"Remove and clean immersion elements; new gasket","frequency":"P1Y","reference":"TM 5-692-1 Maintenance of Mechanical and Electrical Equipment at Command, Control, Communications, Computer, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) Facilities: Recommended Maintenance Practices","url":"https://www.wbdg.org/FFC/ARMYCOE/COETM/tm_5_692_1.pdf","page":99,"checklist":"Table 12-1 Domestic water system"},{"task":"Remove and reinstall magnesium anode","frequency":"P1Y","reference":"TM 5-692-1 Maintenance of Mechanical and Electrical Equipment at Command, Control, Communications, Computer, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) Facilities: Recommended Maintenance Practices","url":"https://www.wbdg.org/FFC/ARMYCOE/COETM/tm_5_692_1.pdf","page":99,"checklist":"Table 12-1 Domestic water system"},{"task":"Refill, check for leaks and check operation","frequency":"P1Y","reference":"TM 5-692-1 Maintenance of Mechanical and Electrical Equipment at Command, Control, Communications, Computer, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) Facilities: Recommended Maintenance Practices","url":"https://www.wbdg.org/FFC/ARMYCOE/COETM/tm_5_692_1.pdf","page":100,"checklist":"Table 12-1 Domestic water system"}],"basis":[{"type":"public_document","life_type":"planning","title":"CNA e-Tool Estimated Useful Life Table","by":"U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development","url":"https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/eul_for_cna_e_tool.pdf","page":10,"code":"HUD CNA 3.4.1.2.6","label":"Residential hot water heater, gas or electric","years":[12,15],"note":"Family properties 12 years, elderly 15. US multifamily housing."},{"type":"public_document","life_type":"planning","title":"Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Commercial Water Heating Equipment (final rule), 88 FR 69686, October 6, 2023","by":"U.S. Department of Energy","url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2023-10-06/pdf/2023-20392.pdf","page":79,"label":"\"commercial electric and gas-fired storage water heaters ... estimated average useful lifetimes of these two types of equipment are 12 and 10 years\"","years":12,"note":"Printed page 69764. class: commercial electric storage water heaters. Stated in the shipments analysis; electric units were not regulated by this rule, so no LCC table covers them."},{"type":"public_document","life_type":"planning","title":"Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Water Heaters (final rule), 89 FR 37778, May 6, 2024","by":"U.S. Department of Energy","url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-05-06/pdf/2024-09209.pdf","page":82,"code":"IV.F.6","label":"\"DOE estimates the average product lifetime to be around 15 years for storage water heaters\"","years":15,"note":"Printed page 37859. residential: consumer electric storage water heaters, including heat pump water heaters (DOE found no lifetime difference)."}],"confidence":{"grade":"B","sample_size":null},"open_questions":["HUD's row is for residential water heaters; commercial storage heaters may differ.","Every source here is a published planning, design or accounting life. None is observed replacement data.","Some maintenance intervals come from TM 5-692-1, an Army manual for mission-critical (C4ISR) facilities; they may be tighter than typical commercial practice."],"contributors":["unfinished.one editors"],"last_reviewed":"2026-10-21","canonical_url":"https://unfinished.one/c/water-heater-electric-tank","versioned_url":"https://unfinished.one/c/water-heater-electric-tank/v/0.3.0","licence":"CC-BY-4.0","citation":"unfinished.one (2026). Water heater, electric, storage tank, v0.3.0. https://unfinished.one/c/water-heater-electric-tank/v/0.3.0"}