Water heater broke! Should I repair or replace?

Answer from Blake Grambusch

Should I repair or replace my water heater? Um, depending on how long you've had your water heater, if you've had it only for about two to three years, I would say maybe it's worth to replace it. After that, I think if you're having issues, you might as well just go ahead and replace the whole thing. Water heaters aren't one of those things that you want to play with and keep replacing parts. Sometimes it can be dangerous, especially if you're working with gas. Um, there is cases where things could go wrong. So, if you're starting to have issues and the water heater is under warranty, I would just go ahead and replace it. Not even mess with all the internals and parts.

Summary - TLDR

blake grambusch advised that if a water heater is only two to three years old, repairing it might be worthwhile, but after that, replacing the entire unit is generally recommended. They emphasized that it can be dangerous to continuously replace parts, especially with gas units, and suggested that if a water heater is under warranty and experiencing issues, it should be replaced rather than attempting internal repairs