Preventive Maint & Anode aftermarket or OEM only?

[Alex Lipowich]

I have a State Select HWH that is almost 16 years old, and during my stay in this home, has worked flawlessly with just occasional draining off some of the bottom water. It's twin did fail about 5 years ago with leakage issues. Not clear why it failed so much more quickly, but that's the story.

Now, at almost 19 years, it is temporarily carrying the entire burden of the home.

I can locate an OEM part described by the company service reps as a 42 inch aluminum 3/4 NPT Ka90 anode. They want about $70 shipped more or less from Sears.

I see other far more affordable rods of aluminum that are 42 inches, and 3/4 inch.

On one hand, the darn thing has lasted a long time with its original anode apparently, so it might make sense to buy similar unit from OEM.

On the other hand are their real world differences between that and a common aluminum 42 rod?

How often do the pro's recommend preventive replacement of the rod? I've not pulled mine yet, but will do so after getting the second HWH repaired.

 

[WorthFlorida]

Count your blessings that this unit lasted even 16 years. It makes no sense to repair it, replace it. Trying to remove a threaded rod this long it is probably frozen solid to the tank. Most areas of Illinois has hard water and if you have a water softener it is one reason why it lasted so long and your tank is probably fill with mineral deposits anyway. All new water heaters must meet new efficiency standards set by the Dept of Energy. You replace your water heater the savings will exceed the cost of a new anode rod.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Dj2]

At 16 or 19 years old (not sure which is which from your post), your water heater is history.
You have two options, and none includes replacing the anode or flushing the tank: let the water heater go till it leaks or replace it now and avoid a messy flood.

 

[Reach4]

I am not a pro. I would use an impact wrench and replace the anode. If I were on a well, I would, and do, use a powered anode.

 

[hj]

My opinion is that by the time the original anode is worn out, it has done its job and there is no reason to install a new one. I use a brass plug when I remove the original anode.

 

[Alex Lipowich]

Thanks for replys.

I can see the argument to not fix what isn't broken, for fear of breaking it.
I can not quite understand why no one really believes in servicing a unit, or at least trying to.
I didn't get much of an answer as to what interval these should be replaced.
I especially didn't get much of an answer about retaining OEM vs aftermarket or alternative anodes.

I have installed catch pans with drain hose (to drains) for my hot water heaters, so, if one does fail in a fashion that involves leaking, I think for the most part, I'm at least partially safeguarded. Those are affordable insurance in my admittedly experience-limited opinion.

 

[WorthFlorida]

It's all from experience, also what you cannot see is what is inside of the tank. I cannot figure out why so many want to get every little bit if use from a appliance that is nearly maintenance free, requires no knowledge to use and for the most part it does its job. You didn't say if it was electric or gas. If gas the area that transfer's heat to the water gets corroded and the efficiency drops. Nasty things can grow inside the tank so with a new clean tank it be more efficient and heat faster. If the tank was a few years old then it be worth trying to repair it. If you put a new set if tires on the 60 year old Buick, it is still sixty year old car and will not run any better or last longer.

Anode rods are precarious thing. Depending on what's in the water and type of rod, some rods will last forever and some only a few years. Other times it reacts with elements in the water and causes the rotten egg smell. The rod protects any bare metal parts that might be exposed inside the tank, notably the threaded connections for the water lines and the electric heating elements. If the porcelain coating inside the tank starts to degrade and the metal gets in contact with the water, then the anode rod will do its job. You cannot set a time frame on it like an oil change. Every few years you would need to pull the rod out and determine of it needs to be replaced. There is plenty of information out their on how to replace the rod.

Replace the tank then every three years or so pull the rod out for an inspection and then determine if needs to be replaced. This is my suggestion and I hope it didn't sound like I'd beat up on you.

https://www.plumbingsupply.com/how-to-change-a-water-heater-anode.html

 

[Dj2]

Quote: "I can not quite understand why no one really believes in servicing a unit, or at least trying to."

- We do believe in servicing water heater, IF you have done so regularly from the beginning.

"I especially didn't get much of an answer about retaining OEM vs aftermarket or alternative anodes"

- After market parts which meet OEM parts are fine and sometimes even exceed OEM parts.

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

you have to be an idiot or someone who has more time on his hands than he
knows what to do with to attempt to change out an anode rod on a 16 year old water heater..
its something that will only get you into trouble...

we have gotten ourselves into trouble before attempting to change out the anode rod plug
on the top or almost brand new units... we do not offer this service any longer.

If you absolutely MUST attempt this .....first....
you get yourself an extra heavy duty socket wrench with a heavy duty socket ,
then you put a long cheater bar on the handle of the wrench for extra torque,

then you get two extra guys to hold the heater in place so it dont spin the heater when you attempt to do this...

you might break your water lines or gas line when it wont budge....
or you could break or bend one of the 3 old legs on the bottom of the heater.......
now thats real fun if a leg breaks on you with the tank full of water...
yes sir that will learn you a real good lesson.........

most likely the nut you are attempting to turn will just round out on you
and you will give up before you do any real damage.....

but whatever happens dont say that I did not warn you first....

 

[Dana]

you have to be an idiot or someone who has more time on his hands than he
knows what to do with to attempt to change out an anode rod on a 16 year old water heater..
its something that will only get you into trouble...

Don't candy-coat it for us Mark, tell us what you REALLY think !

Still, have to agree that the wisest counsel here really is...

"If it ain't fixed, don't break it."

The thing is already at or beyond it's anticipated lifecycle. If you're worried about it, replace it. If you want to wait until it fails, fine- most don't fail catastrophically all at once.

A number of things can make one unit outlast another, the most significant of which is the total amount of water it is heating up per year. I've seen 30+ year old electric water heaters in vacation condos that only get used during the summer, and spend most of their time at room temperature with the breaker off.

 

[DIYER39]

Looks like this thread is similar to my thread. Ill be honest guys. Its really hard to tell if the plumbers on this forum are worried that threads like this will "Take bread from their mouths", or they are trying to save us a great deal of trouble by telling us to leave it alone. Threads on the internet are usually permanent so I can see how this is a touchy subject for TerryLove.com. The web is full of sites that say this is some big secret that plumbers don't want you to know about . I assume that water heater replacement is the bread and butter of residential plumbing but what do I know. I know its costly though. Reading you guys talk about anode rod disasters has definitely scared me into leaving things alone and taking the risk that my WH will only last 5 years instead of 20.

I am always grateful for any help so thanks again for the information on TerryLove.com. I would like to end this post with a couple of excerpts from the splash page just in case anyone has forgotten.

"Save time, and money. I'm Terry Love, owner of Love Plumbing & Remodel. I've created this web site to to save you time and money. Inside these pages you will find expert advice on plumbing and remodel projects."

"The Dot.Com that informs and saves you money"

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

We just did one a few days ago on a Rheem heater that was about 7 years old..
It took two of us to get the plug to move...one guy to work the monster socket wrench
with the cheater bar on it and the other one to hold the heater in place...
With great strain it finally popped loose and we removed the offending rod.
and I did not smack my helper with the handle of the cheater bar when it let go...... that was good...
The only reason I removed the rod was it had begun to give off a sulpher smell and we installed a plug only back into the unit.......

I warned the customer before we started he might have to live with the problem
so basically we just got lucky....

I dont think the anode rod is some best kept secret that no one wants you to know about.......you can think that if you wish....you can change the rod out in your heater if you wish..

Their are plenty of water heaters out there and most folks dont know one end of a wrench from another...so its not the end of the world to me

 

[Reach4]

The only reason I removed the rod was it had begun to give off a sulpher smell and we installed a plug only back into the unit.......

Do you think the powered anodes are too expensive?

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

Do you think the powered anodes are too expensive?

I dont know a thing about them .... dont have a clue how much they cost....
A normal anode rod cost around 25 bucks??
Is it really worth all the trouble to install one
in a 16 year old water heater??

we have attempted to install aluminum rods in heaters instead of
mag rods and they still began to stink after a short while... Some units
you are just not gonna get good results with whatever you do do .
Normally this problem only happens
on well water and we just remove the rod all together ..

 

[Reach4]

I dont know a thing about them .... dont have a clue how much they cost....
A normal anode rod cost around 25 bucks??
Is it really worth all the trouble to install one
in a 16 year old water heater??

Almost $250 with shipping. They are not a high-selling item, so there is not big scale economy in the manufacture. Plus for the DIY person, maybe add the price of an impact wrench and 1-1/16 impact socket if the original anode has been in long. For the professional, I doubt there is a professional discount for one or two at a time.

I put one on a 9 year old WH. I figure to move the powered anode to a new WH when needed, unless I get an HTP Phoenix Light Duty-- which does not use an anode for its stainless steel tank.

Worth the trouble? Hard to say. Getting the old anode out was surprisingly hard. If the powered anode increases the life of the WH by 25% over no anode, I would say yes. But how would I know? The main advantage over replacing the anode with an aluminum+zinc anode is that the aluminium+zinc anode still can react with sulfates in the water. The advantage over replacing the anode with a brass plug is longer WH life.

https://terrylove.com/forums/index....gg-smell-after-replacing-aluminum-rods.41064/ has some discussion.

 

[Cacher_Chick]

Wow, I had no idea the powered anode rod was so expensive. We pay that for a new residental water heater.

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

Almost $250 with shipping. They are not a high-selling item, so there is not big scale economy in the manufacture. Plus for the DIY person, maybe add the price of an impact wrench and 1-1/16 impact socket if the original anode has been in long. For the professional, I doubt there is a professional discount for one or two at a time.

I put one on a 9 year old WH. I figure to move the powered anode to a new WH when needed, unless I get an HTP Phoenix Light Duty-- which does not use an anode for its stainless steel tank.

Worth the trouble? Hard to say. Getting the old anode out was surprisingly hard. If the powered anode increases the life of the WH by 25% over no anode, I would say yes. But how would I know? The main advantage over replacing the anode with an aluminum+zinc anode is that the aluminium+zinc anode still can react with sulfates in the water. The advantage over replacing the anode with a brass plug is longer WH life.

https://terrylove.com/forums/index....gg-smell-after-replacing-aluminum-rods.41064/ has some discussion.

no offence meant here but you got to be nuts to waste the money on one of them at 250...!!!
why would anyone want to cough up 250 bucks into something that "might" maybe make the heater
last a few years longer???

This is something that only someone with a lot of time on their hands would fret and worry
about... Like someone retired with millions of dollars to piss away on things that come to their mind....

I guess you can find one online but I doubt the common supply house would have one.

 

[Jadnashua]

By far, assuming you wish to take the time, the cheapest and simplest thing to do is to replace your anode rod, or at least check it, every 2-3 years after removing it when new to install some PTFE tape so you have a chance of getting it out easily the next time. Even brand new, they can be a pain to remove. Will it extend the life, possibly. DO they work on boats, piers, bouies? Yes, but those cost LOTS more than a typical WH, so it makes sense to do whatever it takes to prolong their life.

The life of a WH in identical situations is a crap shoot mostly based on luck of the draw and overall use which includes the typical inlet vs. storage temps and how much you draw off of the thing when in use. THermal shock, mildly corrosive water, use, defects all play a part. Mineral deposits can cause uneven heating and micro flash steam explosions which can damage things over time.

 

[Reach4]

no offence meant here but you got to be nuts to waste the money on one of them at 250...!!!
why would anyone want to cough up 250 bucks into something that "might" maybe make the heater
last a few years longer???

How much does a leaking gas water heater cost your customer?

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

How much does a leaking gas water heater cost your customer?

Ohhh that depends on the situation.... if it floods out the house it will cost them quite a bit
but if its installed in a catch pan to a drain its not so bad.... maybe 1000 dollars every 10 years or so thats
a pretty good life in our neck of the woods with nasty lime infested water and all.....

if you thinks its worth all the effort, then I say knock yourself out go for it...I got dozens of them laying
around the office we have taken out of well water situations.....
I can even mail you one if you want a x-mas present...

quoting jadnashua...

The life of a WH in identical situations is a crap shoot mostly based on luck of the draw and overall use which includes the typical inlet vs. storage temps and how much you draw off of the thing when in use. THermal shock, mildly corrosive water, use, defects all play a part. Mineral deposits can cause uneven heating and micro flash steam explosions which can damage things over time.

also power surges, and close by lightening strikes can have a nasty affect
on a water heater....