Old American WH replacement

[Dj2]

A couple of days ago I replaced a 15 year old 40 gallon American natural gas WH.

It wasn't leaking, it didn't have serious rust issues, just not producing enough hot water.

Sometimes, even American WHs outlast their expected life.

 

[Terry]

I've pulled a few too. This is a "before" picture. I don't have the Rheem picture that I replaced it with.
I wanted to paint the wall behind, but the homeowner didn't want me to bother. Drywall gets darker over time, and painting the garage walls with white primer lightens up everything and makes it look so much better.