Most people do not give the hot water heater in their home a second thought since these appliances are normally out of sight, and they typically are very reliable. Once every decade or so, however, they do wear out. How long yours will last in part depends on the quality of the water in your area. If the water has a lot of corrosive elements in it, your unit will probably start malfunctioning sooner than in other places where the water supply is of better quality. In general, if you notice that you do not have as much hot water coming out of your taps as you previously did, or if there is not enough hot water to take a shower, your hot water heater might be wearing out. Other indicators that you need a new hot water heater are if the hot water heater is leaking or if there appears to be rust in your hot water. Hot water heater Louisville, Colorado has much more information about this and other subjects having to do with hot water heaters.