Out of Service Water Heaters

[MABuyer]

Considering on buying a property with 2 AO Smith electric water heaters which were installed new in 1998 when property was built.
The house has been vacant and the utilities have been turned off for approximately 2 years.
Should I be concerned with any issues with these heaters sitting empty
for this period of time?

 

[Otahyoni]

Other than being sure they are full of water before you turn on the power, and possibly rust, i wouldn't think there could be much else to go bad...

 

[Caduceus]

As of 2009 the tanks would have been 11 years old and may have some build up inside the tank. But if they were fairly maintained, Otah is right. I have found some electric hot water tanks to be very resilient. Follow Otah's statement...make sure they are full of water, turn them on and see how well they heat.
You stated that they were empty, but even a small amount of water could sit in the tank and get pretty nasty with bacteria. Be sure to flush the tanks thoroughly once they are full. If you develop a "rotten egg" smell in the hot water, you may need to chlorinate the tanks. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[MABuyer]

Thank you both for your responses.
Does not sound too bad.
Essentially fill them and flush would be advisable.
Go from there based on the results.
What would be the life expectancy of electric water heaters?
I only have experience with natural gas.