JByrd

Back in the late 1940's, I was about 9 years old, my family was living in this same old house with this same water heater. It was struck by lightning, which melted the insulation. My father went to Portland, probably to the Fowler factory, and got replacement insulation. Possibly new elements too, I don't remember. Or he may have gone to George Morlan, The Water Heater King. Anyway, he rebuilt it and it's still going strong. No leaks yet!

Thank you all for the info. That's the beast, on page 9, although mine must be a 50-gallon, as it's wider than the one shown for sale by Maytag. And has two controls, "preheat" and "boost." Sounds like I should just keep using it until one of us dies.It's a toss-up; we're about the same age, me and my water heater. But I'm not glass-lined. I do wrap it with insulation.

I have a table-top water heater from the late 1940's or early 1950's that's still in service, about 65 years later! (Although service has not been continuous.) The manufacturer's label reads "PORCELINED" and "Fowler Electric." Apparently manufactured by Fowler Mfg. Co. of Portland, OR, but I can find little information about this unit on the internet. The chart from the Inspector's Journal doesn't list Fowler. Even though it's still working, I'm thinking of replacing with a modern, more energy-efficient model. I would greatly appreciate any additional information on this unit, however. Thanks. Click to Enlarge 27.4 KB