Hot Water Heater Anode…can you recondition it?
I have two water heaters in series. The original conventional heater was left in line when a new ‘high efficiency’ tank put in. (It was cheaper to leave it, and water comes up to room temp before it goes into the new heater.) I wanted to replace the anode in the old tank as it started to leak around the fitting. Figured it was wasting away to nothing. Bought a ‘bendable’ rod because its in a tight space and planned to cut the old rod if there was anything left. When I pulled the old out as far as I could get it (about 18″), the rod is solid. The surface was coated and almost looked like copper, but if I scape it you can get down to the metal beneath it (I think aluminum). So thats what I did, retaped the threads, and put it back in the tank. No leaks, but do I need to replace the anode or will the 18″ of scaped surface suffice?
BTW changing the rod in the new tank will be significantly more difficult, same tight space but also have to remove blower and ducting to get to anode…great design work! I figure I can wait a few years, especially if the first tank anode is still working(?)
Thanks.
Jeff
Replies
anode
most of the tanks we run into have a magnessium rod which if you have any sulpher in the water will cause the water to stink when heated
I replace them with a aluminum rod instead but you do need a rod to protect the elements
The anode is physically consumed as it's "used up". If, when you checked it, it had no major reduction in diameter then it's fine.
Water heater anode
Is the old water heater still a heater or just a storage tank only with no heat sourse other than say the room temperature? The reason I ask, is I thought that the need for an anode was due to the process of heating the water created a chemical reaction of sorts. Would you need one in a cold water storage tank? I don't know. Just askin.
You need it less with the cold tank, since chemical reactions slow down as temperature drops. But the purpose is to prevent electrolytic action from rusting through the steel tank in spots where the glass coating has cracked. It is a "sacrificial anode" that forces electricity to flow the opposite direction so that the tank doesn't corrode.
Related to the problems you have with copper pipe connected to iron pipe.
Thanks for the replies. I think I won't replace the old rod in the conventional heater (since it is just a 'cold storage' tank now...and I did expose new surface area on the old rod). I had hoped the rod would also increase the interval before I had to check the newer tank's rod, but based on the replies, I guess I'll have to go ahead and check the anode (and deal with removing the blower and ducting). Thanks again.
Frankly, if the old anode wasn't pitted very much I don't think I'd bother checking the new anode. Normally an anode should last ten years or so, except in very acidic water. I've never checked mine, and the heater is 33.5 years old.
Thanks again, again.