Originally Posted by wag123
Originally Posted by Wolf359
Originally Posted by wag123
Originally Posted by andyd
I use propane water heaters. If I got 16 yrs out of one, I'd be braggin' about it.
Water heaters last a LOT longer if you replace the anode every 5 years (more often if you have hard water). The flexible anodes are under $40.
I'd rather just cut the hot and cold copper pipes and use shark bite fittings. You can reuse those with the $1 tool that disconnects them when you need to replace the water heater. Use a sawsall to cut it to length if it's too long.
The rod is about $13-$14.
https://www.supplyhouse.com/Rheem-SP11526C-900-x-44-3-8-Magnesium-R-Tech-Anode-Rod
https://www.westsidewholesale.com/rheem-sp11526c.html
The problem with using the less expensive solid anode rods is that their length will make it difficult (or impossible) to replace in an area where there is limited clearance above the water heater (most installations). I installed a flexible one before I installed the water heater because of this, and because of the fact that the manufacturer puts them in so tight that it can be almost impossible to get the old one out 5 years down the road (I don't install it nearly as tight).
My electric water heater is over 20 years old and I am on my 4th anode rod. If you have never replaced one, you should see what an old anode rod looks like when it comes out. Replacing a water heater every 10-15 years is not necessary if the anode is replaced on a regular basis, this is a normal maintenance item on all water heaters, both gas and electric. The exception to this is on LP gas water heaters which can corrode from the outside-in due to the corrosive nature of LP gas.
The new electric water heater's basic design isn't any different than it was 50 years ago and are only more efficient due to additional insulation. An older one can be made more efficient by simply installing a water heater blanket. Personally, I don't see any reason to retire one that isn't leaking.
Using Shark Bite connectors on a water heater's water connections is a bad idea. The heat from the water heater will eventually degrade/destroy the Shark Bite's O-Rings.
That's why I mentioned the shark bite fittings. You cut the hot and cold so you can tip the water heater to slide in the longer rod after you drain out most of the hot water. Those flexible ones are thinner. That rod I mentioned is .9 inches thick. The original ones are usually anywhere from .5 to .75 inches thick. Should last longer and they're cheaper. I haven't actually seen any shark bite fittings destroyed yet, they're code compliant and they're designed to work with hot and cold pipes. You could always just use regular copper connectors, but not everyone is good at soldering.
And yeah, it can be a project to remove the old rod, had to use a 1/2 inch breaker bar which was 18 inches long and a 3 foot pipe on top of that to get the rod to break loose and that was spraying it with Kroil to loosen it up first.
Originally Posted by Wolf359
Originally Posted by wag123
Originally Posted by andyd
I use propane water heaters. If I got 16 yrs out of one, I'd be braggin' about it.
Water heaters last a LOT longer if you replace the anode every 5 years (more often if you have hard water). The flexible anodes are under $40.
I'd rather just cut the hot and cold copper pipes and use shark bite fittings. You can reuse those with the $1 tool that disconnects them when you need to replace the water heater. Use a sawsall to cut it to length if it's too long.
The rod is about $13-$14.
https://www.supplyhouse.com/Rheem-SP11526C-900-x-44-3-8-Magnesium-R-Tech-Anode-Rod
https://www.westsidewholesale.com/rheem-sp11526c.html
The problem with using the less expensive solid anode rods is that their length will make it difficult (or impossible) to replace in an area where there is limited clearance above the water heater (most installations). I installed a flexible one before I installed the water heater because of this, and because of the fact that the manufacturer puts them in so tight that it can be almost impossible to get the old one out 5 years down the road (I don't install it nearly as tight).
My electric water heater is over 20 years old and I am on my 4th anode rod. If you have never replaced one, you should see what an old anode rod looks like when it comes out. Replacing a water heater every 10-15 years is not necessary if the anode is replaced on a regular basis, this is a normal maintenance item on all water heaters, both gas and electric. The exception to this is on LP gas water heaters which can corrode from the outside-in due to the corrosive nature of LP gas.
The new electric water heater's basic design isn't any different than it was 50 years ago and are only more efficient due to additional insulation. An older one can be made more efficient by simply installing a water heater blanket. Personally, I don't see any reason to retire one that isn't leaking.
Using Shark Bite connectors on a water heater's water connections is a bad idea. The heat from the water heater will eventually degrade/destroy the Shark Bite's O-Rings.
That's why I mentioned the shark bite fittings. You cut the hot and cold so you can tip the water heater to slide in the longer rod after you drain out most of the hot water. Those flexible ones are thinner. That rod I mentioned is .9 inches thick. The original ones are usually anywhere from .5 to .75 inches thick. Should last longer and they're cheaper. I haven't actually seen any shark bite fittings destroyed yet, they're code compliant and they're designed to work with hot and cold pipes. You could always just use regular copper connectors, but not everyone is good at soldering.
And yeah, it can be a project to remove the old rod, had to use a 1/2 inch breaker bar which was 18 inches long and a 3 foot pipe on top of that to get the rod to break loose and that was spraying it with Kroil to loosen it up first.
