Hot water heater question?

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They seem to work till they don't.

My second home, ma's and dad's, has the origanal tank. Circa 1976-78, still going strong.
My current place has a vintage tank at the two decade mark.

No problems, I drain a gallon every 30days. My only maitenance.



harvey
 
Replace the anode. If there is any sacrificial metal left, you know you caught it in time. If it's gone, you need to do it more often. I replace mine every 3~5 years. It is what protects your system from some forms of corrosion ...
 
Like we talk about all the time in these water heater threads, flushing them is useless unless you yank the OEM needle valve and replace it with a 3/4" ball valve. Take a look inside the drain valves that come with standard residential grade water heaters and you'll see what I'm talking about. It's not even an 1/8" orifice. You're not going to get the flow you need to expel debris. If you do, it's going to clog and/or not seat.
 
Originally Posted By: larryinnewyork
Imaverickfhs,

I went to Home Depot and they don't sell any. Don't know why.

I ordered mine (yesterday) from SupplyHouse.COM
The Magnesium seem to wear out quicker than Aluminum.
I bought the Magnesium figuring it will give better protection but may need to be changed 'sooner' in the future.
SKU SP8371B ...... $42.95

I didn't think it made any difference, but the one I ordered is made by Rheem (same as tank).
I will assume the quality will be all it's surpose to be.

Today I'm going to Harbor Freight to purchase their Electric Impact Wrench.
With Discount, it will cost $45 (better than paying a Plumber).
As a last resort, I would use a 4' cheater bar with Breaker Bar.

Either method I use, I know I will also need another person to keep the Tank from rotating.


Thanks so much, I went to HD and Lowe's both didn't have it in my WH size. I'll try 2 more stores tomorrow and else will order online, it's cheap ONLINE!

Please keep me posted about how it'll go. I'll do the same, of course
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Mine from supplyhouse is not sure an aftermarket or made by rheem/ruud? I'll ask and check.
 
You know they're all basically the same right? Just get the .9 inch one. They all have the same 3/4 inch hex socket and the .9 inch diameter will last longer than a .8 and it's less money. The length is also the same and if it isn't you just put it in and measure how much it sticks out and cut off a couple extra inches. You mind as well get 2 considering how much the shipping is. The only one I've seen at Home depot is a thin aluminum one that was .5 inches in diameter. And that was at a big home depot that had lots more departments. The smaller ones might not carry it.

https://www.comfortgurus.com/water-heater-parts/9164-rheem-sp11526c-magnesium-anode-rod.html
 
Thanks Wolf359, you the man
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I might order 2 from supplyhouse, because comfort gurus shipping is outrageous ;(
 
Thanks Wolf359, you the man
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I might order 2 from supplyhouse, because comfort gurus shipping is outrageous ;(

I thought their threads might be different or no? Does all of them have universal threads/hex head and just length and diameter is different?
 
I have hard water, i'm on a well. I replaced my water heater last dec 2015. Should i check the anode now, or pull it at the 2 year mark?
 
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Originally Posted By: maverickfhs
Thanks Wolf359, you the man
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I might order 2 from supplyhouse, because comfort gurus shipping is outrageous ;(

I thought their threads might be different or no? Does all of them have universal threads/hex head and just length and diameter is different?


I believe they're all the same, there's some minor differences like the resistor or not, but I don't think that really matters. Just use a 6 point socket, they're all standard and I believe they're all 1 1/16 inch. It's just the length and diameter that's different. I suppose that only matters if you want an exact match to OEM, but if it's too long, cut it, and if it's thicker, it will last longer. OEMs only use thinner ones because that will save them money when they're making thousands of them. I only ordered from Comfortgurus because they had the 4 pack and I ordered 12 last time. I think their shipping went up even more since the last time I ordered.
 
Just be prepared to empty and disconnect the piping and vent and tipping the tank to remove. A lot of places where the tank is located doesn't have enough ceiling height to pull/install the anode rod.
 
Originally Posted By: dirtymudder
Just be prepared to empty and disconnect the piping and vent and tipping the tank to remove. A lot of places where the tank is located doesn't have enough ceiling height to pull/install the anode rod.


My old anode rod was so rotted, I could break it in half, and take it out in pieces at it came out.

Be absolutely sure to have a pair of long pliers on the other end of the rod, you do not want that to fall back into the tank.

Then get a flexible rod to put back in there, measure to make sure you have the right length before you buy its a piece of cake.
 
A contractor showed me how to replace the anode with low clearance. He put a bend in the rod to take it out and to put it in. Apparently the "J" shape of the rod doesn't interfere with anything once in the tank.
 
Thanks everyone and special thanks to Wolf359 for all of his help
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I ordered 2 for ~$36 from supplyhouse. BTW, does anyone has any 'promo codes' for them? Their shipping is way cheaper than comfort gurus.
 
Thanks again all, I replaced that anode rod today. Used an impact, even with an impact it took a long time for it to break!!!

Used teflon tape sparingly and used an impact to tighten it up too, but didn't use too much torque. So far no leak and am glad I replaced it on time. Thanks to Larry and Wolf359
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Planning to replace this one after 5-8 years, instead of 13!





 
That doesn't look too bad.

Here's one that was completely gone next to the new one.

 
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
That doesn't look too bad.

Here's one that was completely gone next to the new one.


OML, that's a HUGE difference. Does it mean my water heater is going to last a bit?
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The anode rod you replaced does not look bad at all. Mine was fully encased in limestone (white).

I don't know if I'm going to mess with my water heater anymore.

The ball valve is broken, and does not shut off supply water. I need to shut it off with a curb key.

It is 13 years old, and my next move will be replacement. It is knocking loudly when heating, but still works.

Further inspection shows that the tank is not rusted at the bottom yet.

When I lived in NY, most of my friends would just DIY or have someone they know install a new tank, then throw the other one to the curb.

Down here a permit is required, and this is something that gets checked when the house is sold. Local plumber has a deal on angies list for a 40 gallon water heater for $749 installed and permitted.

Going price for a water heater alone at home depot is $500, so I don't think $749 for a supply house water heater to be a bad deal at all. Also includes new ball valve, hoses, and drip tank.

I'm sure that home depot charges more to install their product with all the extras and gotchas.
 
My WH is quiet, doesn't make any noise and have no heating problems, so far( knocking on the wood). Question is, if I keep replacing/checking this anode rod after every 5 years. Would it last for a long time?

Thanks everyone for your help
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When I replaced my 40 gallon gas heater ten years ago Home Depot quoted $1,000 - installed - by one of their approved contractors. I paid around $450 for their best model and installed it myself in about an hour. My old one made a lot of gurgling and bubbling noises when heating, a sign of scale buildup. I would run out of hot water in the house if only a couple of showers were taken together. The new heater resolved the issues, of course. Scale buildup acts as insulation and slows down the heating process. I've tried several times using an electric impact wrench and breaker bar to remove my anode to no avail. All I've done is moved the heater a bit so I guess I'm leaving it alone until it's time to replace it again.
 
Yeah, I must say, with an impact it was still a bear. Impact was crying/socket was heating up and all but it came loose. I think, in future it might not be that bad but will see!

My biggest fear with a wrench/cheater pipe was that I could break supply lines and I didn't want to get into that situation.
 
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