UTH Lifespan

I haven't seen this question asked for, or answered before, so I thought I'd give it a shot: how long does it take for a UTH to call it quits?

And does the heat output slowly ebb away, or does it just shut down all at once like a kaput light bulb?

My UTH is still fairly efficient since getting it five months ago, but it doesn't seem quite as hot at it used to, so I thought this was worth asking.

Thanks in advance, guys!

In my experience if its not ripped off of a glass bottom and the wire is allowed to have clearance, then it lasts years. It might not feel as hot as it was originally, but place a temperature guage on the glass bottom and then let the guage tell you if its just you who's simply "hot" :P

I haven't had one fail or burn out yet. Your UTH may be running cooler because it's winter and depending on the ambient temps in the room, it may be dissipating more of the heat. I had this problem last winter, and I solved it by getting a sheet of styroprene insulation from my local home improvent store and taping it over the UTH. This basically sends all the heat up into the tank, and as long as you are using a good thermostat it shouldn't over heat. I've had it this way for about a year now and have had no problems...

I have been using the same one for 3 years almost, with no problems..and it has even been relocated 3 times...just very carefully!