Water Heater Anode Rods

Several points that would make this article seem more intelligently written and authoritative:

1. "Hot water heater" is incorrect terminology. If the water is hot there is no need to heat it. Water heater is sufficient and accurate. Strangely you use both phrases in the same sentence in several places.

2. Mechanical devices are by definition full of moving parts. A water heater is not a mechanical device, it does not move and it does no work. Saying it is a mechanical device is like saying your couch is a mechanical device. A sewing machine, a car, an air compressor... these are mechanical devices.

3. "You simply need to consider several alternatives before you install your next hot water heater"
Alternatives to what? What are the alternatives?

4. "High pressure failures are also becoming a problem as well."
Where did the commentary on this statement go? What is a high pressure failure, why are they becoming a problem and how can one such and occurrence?

Ever since my water heater was installed (5 years ago)in our house we've had this odorless fume that escapes from the faucet when the hot water is turned on, that causes throat irritation and coughing if you breath it. We've had the water company out, gas company, plumbers, contractors, and nobody can figure out why our hot water has this irritating odorless gas leaking from it. My contractor just took our our anode rod and brought it to the water heater place and they said they'd never seen one so corroded as ours. Ours is only 5 years old! Our water comes from the town well which is tested safe all they time. Our water heater is gas. Does anyone have any idea what is going on? If I should test the water independently, what should I test for?
Help. I have young kids in my home and I want to find out if this gas is hazardous to our health. Please comment if you have any ideas.

It sounds like the Sulfates that are present in well water are reacting with the Magnesium anode. Replaceing it with an aluninum anode 90% of the time removes almost all of the gas and any smell.

I'm interested in the statement ... "The heating of water within a hot water heater and the motion of the water cause tiny electrical currents to be generated within the water heater." ... Does this mean that electrolysis occurs at a more rapid rate if more hot water is used, and tank life is shorter in high usage households? This seems logical if it is the process of heating that causes the problem, not the fact that hot water is stored.

Gerard -

Tim has a GREAT site and I've found alot of useful information here. I guess the question is...what is your problem? This is a DIY/home improvement site, not an english composition class. I'd suggest you find another hobby besides critiquing sites that offer the DIY a helping hand.

Regards,

Ryan

I picture Gerard sitting alone in front of the computer for hours before he decided to begin critiquing DIY sites...lol he is correct but useless.

i really like ryans comment , i was
thinking the same thing ,i know so many college educated people that seem to know everything but when it comes time to get the job done they are lost.thanks ryan for standing up for the guy trying to prvide usefull info.

What on earth is wrong with you, Gerard? You don't need to take things so literally. I guess many take offense to your comments because there's a fine line between criticism and constructive criticism. Lighten up! The info on these web sites are hear to help us not hurt us. I am a bit curious about what Dee wrote; don't you have anything else better to do with your time?

My brother-in-law has a problem with his hot water line coming from his tank to his upstairs washroom, I say about 25 to 30 feet away. Coming out of the tank it tees off to the laundry room and then to the kitchen sink and then to the washroom. Now the problem is the pressure is very weak only in the washroom and his spigot in the tub seems to be corroded cause he cannot pull the tab to activate the shower. Is there anything that can be done without replacing the pipes cause they are not accessible.

I found it difficult to find any parts associated with water heater maintenance at my local hardware store. Anode rods were unheard of, so I checked the internet and came across a great site that offers water heater maintenence imformation and products. Check out the waterconnection.com

Hate to judge but Gerrard has issues..."hot water heater" is common terminology in the industry and I've never seen a couch with a pump, valves, pressure relief etc.
Being in the industry I thought I would give some comments on anodes. Magnesium is at the top of the food chain so to speak, aluminum second, zinc third. The bottom of the food chain being gold which is why gold will never corrode. Having said that magnesium isnt always the best but is the most common for hot water tanks. We manufactur and change approx. 1500 anodes yearly and to determine frequency of changing, well, there are different ways but the most simple and cheapest way is to replace at the two year mark and see how much the anode has depleted. If its 50% gone then wait until the 3rd or 4th year before changing again. Most residential tanks will have a 3/4" plug at the top of the tank with .625" anode, 40" in length attached. Anodes are installed to protect against unlined areas of carbon steel tanks. As the steel tank is trying to get back to its natural state, ore, anodes will release energy to prevent this. Thats a simple way of putting it but thats the idea. If you cant find anodes at the local hardware store you can definitely find them online.

Water heaters ARE a mechanical device, even when electrically heated. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers was initially founded to prevent boiler and heat exchanger explosions. On EVERY tank type water heater there is a Temperature and Pressure relief valve. This valve carries ASME certification.

While construction of small water heaters is outside the scope of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Codes, they ARE constructed with the experiences learned on all boilers, pressure vessels and heat exchangers.