Comment Re:Randomization... (Score 1) 175
Tankless systems have the same corrosion problem. They also have the added benefit of scale reducing their effectiveness and eventually clogging them entirely. If your tanked heater was properly installed -- it has a catch pan and drain -- then the eventual pinhole leaks will not be the ruination you claim. Either way, preventive maintenance is necessary to keep them running for years. (my previous one lasted 23 years! The flue eventually burned through -- short of spraying it with the stuff used to protect welding tips, not much I can do to protect the steel from the fire that's supposed to heat it.)
(the ones at my parent's house (electric) have always rusted from the inside out because no one replaces the cathode rods)