Need New Water Heater NOW. Help...

On returning from vacation we discovered no hot water. After hitting the reset button we got hot water for a couple days before it tripped again.

The tank is about 18year old, 50 gal electric. After about a week I have noticed the tank is leaking in the area of the reset button. So, its time for new. I was looking at the new GE hybrid but it is not available until nov and after reading the comments on the hybrid forum, may not be my best choice.

I want quality and dependability with the best energy efficiency possible for an electric. We do have gas in the house but the estimates I am getting to run the line are in the thousands.

Thoughts, Suggestions, Insights all greatly appreciated here.

Thanks.

Cathy

crazy

an 18 year old tank is a ticking timebomb

Buy a Rheem or get a plumber to install a Bradford White..

Thanks I had a plumber install a bradford-white. In out done. very happy.
He recommended the BW as being better than the rest but NOTHING would last as long as the old one. Not even close. The original tank was 28 years old. It should have been gone a long time ago. I wonder what my new electric bill is going to look like.

It should be about the same or a little less over time because the insulation on the new heaters is better...