a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody the captain ordered that the prisoner be thrown into the brig immediately Synonyms bastille, big house [slang], bridewell, jail, calaboose, can, clink [slang], cooler, coop, guardroom, hock, hold, hoosegow, jailhouse, joint [slang], jug, lockup, nick [British slang], pen, penitentiary, pokey ...
Clue #1: Age. The older the water heater, the more likely it is to break down. As a general rule, a tank type water heater will last, on average 8 to 12 years. With proper maintenance and a little luck, you may be able to nearly double the lifespan of your water heater. But sometimes even with the best care, a water heater will need to be replaced after only a few years.
Electric water heaters typically last a year or two longer than gas models, but not always. Gas heaters are touted as being more economical and environmentally friendly than electric, but they also have more components that may wear out or fail.