Water Heaters

[Scott J.]

I took a plumbing class recently to be a more informed landlord. The teacher said that water heaters should be replaced at the end of their warranty (often 10 years) and not to wait until there is a problem to replace them.

Is this actually done by you pros out there in the field or is this just conservative teacher talk? How do you know when to replace your water heater?

One of my water heaters is a year past its warranty but I would hate to replace it if I could get a couple more years out of it.

Lastly, do you replace water heaters yourself or hire someone?