I have a water softener, does that increase or decrease the life of my hot-water tank. What about the instant units, good bad?
Yes and No. A water softener that is installed when the hot water heater is new or near new, will increase the tank life by many years. If you install a new water softener and still have an old un-maintained water heater, you will soon dissolve the mineral build-up in the old tank exposing weakened and damaged tank linings. Your old water tank may already have a rupture, and the scale build-up is plugging the rupture preventing the water from leaking onto the floor. Anode rods will break down faster with softened water. You will need to replace the anodes more frequently with softened water.
