Windwalker. Better start shopping for a new water heater. There are 8 year water heaters and 12 year water heaters. That is their life expectancy. I work in a Home Depot and have had to replace 2 water heaters since I have lived here. Having the water heater in the attic is a bad idea. There are trays that home improvement stores sell that can go under the water heater to catch some of the water if they burst. They also sell tankless hot water heaters nowadays.