neilw
New Member
I have a 7 year old, 75 gallon AO Smith gas water heater that suddenly started giving out rust-colored water. Suddenly as in overnight. I drained and refilled it several times but the water color didn't clear up, so I had a plumber out. I was expecting him to say I needed to replace the entire heater, but he said it was the anode rod and was very sure about his diagnosis. The water heater is supplied with softened water if it matters.
I went ahead and had him change the rod, and sure enough the old rod was completely gone. The plumber's claim was that the rod had rusted through and bits of it were sitting at the bottom of the tank and would eventually dissipate. Honestly it sounded odd since I thought the anode rods didn't corrode into an orange color, but I went with it and had him put in a new rod.
So a few days later the water is as rusty as ever despite flushing the tank a few more times. Did I get a terrible diagnosis and do I need to go ahead and replace the entire heater?
I went ahead and had him change the rod, and sure enough the old rod was completely gone. The plumber's claim was that the rod had rusted through and bits of it were sitting at the bottom of the tank and would eventually dissipate. Honestly it sounded odd since I thought the anode rods didn't corrode into an orange color, but I went with it and had him put in a new rod.
So a few days later the water is as rusty as ever despite flushing the tank a few more times. Did I get a terrible diagnosis and do I need to go ahead and replace the entire heater?