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.
Standard tanks provide more hot water but have a shorter lifespan. Purchasing a hot water heater is an investment that should last for many years. While standard units with tanks that hold and heat large amounts of water last approximately 13 years, tankless or on-demand heaters -- either gas or electrically heated -- can last up to 20 years.