Build the failure record
Gather model and serial numbers, installation dates, invoices, warranty claims, and photographs. Separate an actual tank leak from a failed valve, control, element, or connection.
Ask each provider what finding justified replacement. If a report only says “bad heater,” request the specific failed part or tank location. Note whether the same symptom returned after each replacement.
The record may reveal several unrelated failures. It may also identify an installation or water-system condition that should be corrected. Neither conclusion follows from age alone.
Ask for measured conditions
A. O. Smith's thermal-expansion bulletin identifies premature tank or component failures as a possible symptom of pressure rise in a closed water system. That possibility needs testing; it is not a diagnosis of your home. A. O. Smith thermal-expansion bulletin.
Ask a qualified water-heater or plumbing professional for the incoming pressure and pressure behavior during heating, with the conditions recorded. Request review of any expansion-control equipment and relevant installation requirements.
Have the provider assess the exact heater's water conditions, corrosion protection, care history, and installation. If water testing is needed, identify the utility, certified laboratory, or qualified water-quality professional responsible for it.
Do not install a treatment device based only on a guess about “Colorado water.” Use actual household findings.
Connect findings with the proposed correction
If excessive pressure, unsuitable water conditions, or an installation defect is found, ask what work addresses it and who owns that work. Separate heater replacement from general plumbing, treatment, or electrical scope.
If the tank itself has failed, replacement may still be necessary. The useful question is whether the underlying cause or contributing condition also needs attention.
Compare repair or replacement terms, warranty coverage, and the cost of any related correction. A longer warranty does not establish that a recurring condition has been solved.
Your next step is to send the full replacement history to a qualified provider and request a documented cause review. Approve the next heater with a plan for the findings, rather than repeating an unexplained cycle.