? about new water heater. No rotten egg smell?

[Cudos]

Hi all,
I am replacing my 9 yo electric Moffat 40 gal heater with a Giant super cascade 40 gal heater. In the past I have notice a rotten egg smell from the hot water only. It wasn't horrendous, more so unpleasant. I haven't smelled any rotten egg lately , few months now. I am on well water, soft but not extremely soft. Iron is about 3 ppm.

Is the fact I don't smell the rotten egg now due to the existing anode rod being probably toast?? I've heard the magnesium rod will react with well water causing the smell. So, if i replace that tank with a new Giant super cascade that has a extra large anode rod is that smell likely to come back with a vengeance because it has a new larger rod to gobble up.
If so. Can anyone advise me on the Corro-Protec CP-R POWERED Titanium Water Heater Anode Rod, and whether or not its a good alternative for me. I haven't installed the new tank yet so should be an easy install.

Any thoughts?
Cheers

 

[Reach4]

If so. Can anyone advise me on the Corro-Protec CP-R POWERED Titanium Water Heater Anode Rod, and whether or not its a good alternative for me. I haven't installed the new tank yet so should be an easy install.

That anode has a short electrode. I expect it to not protect the lower part of the tank well.

I would go for the Ceranode powered anode. Its electrode can be stretched to match the length of the new anode. The weight on the bottom is an insulator, so it would not be a problem if that bumped the bottom.

Few people change out an anode before they get a chance to corrode in place a bit. I don't know if you will need an impact wrench to remove the OEM anode or not. I know they don't have to be torqued in nearly as much as they are.

I also did not check your new WH info to see if it has a separate anode mount, or it uses one where the anode is combined with the cold water nipple. If you have a combination anode, special things need doing.

Also, I presume your proposed WH is not one of the few with two anodes.

I am curious-- why the replacement? Leak, or other reason?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Cudos]

That anode has a short electrode. I expect it to not protect the lower part of the tank well.

I would go for the Ceranode powered anode. Its electrode can be stretched to match the length of the new anode. The weight on the bottom is an insulator, so it would not be a problem if that bumped the bottom.

Few people change out an anode before they get a chance to corrode in place a bit. I don't know if you will need an impact wrench to remove the OEM anode or not. I know they don't have to be torqued in nearly as much as they are.

I also did not check your new WH info to see if it has a separate anode mount, or it uses one where the anode is combined with the cold water nipple. If you have a combination anode, special things need doing.

Also, I presume your proposed WH is not one of the few with two anodes.

I am curious-- why the replacement? Leak, or other reason?

Hi and thanks, the new WH has a separate anode. I'm replacing my existing tank because I think its just about due to crap out. Having some weird things happening. #1 my rotten egg smell is gone (anode toast)? #2 when we show up at our cabin every weekend and use the hot water it spits and chuffs from the hot water tap for a bit until we run it for a while, it also seems as if the hot water is more effervescent that usual, hard to explain that one. Seeing as we go away for a week at a time I worry the tank may be corroding out or close to it. I don't mind replacing it for peace of mind.

The power anode Corro-Protec CP-R POWERED Titanium Water Heater Anode Rod is suppose to work just fine for a 40 gal tank despite the short stature of the rod. Reviews online rate it very highly. I am concerned that my new tank with the "even" bigger magnesium rod will react with my well water and cause the rotten egg smell.

Cheers

 

[Phog]

Hi and thanks, the new WH has a separate anode. I'm replacing my existing tank because I think its just about due to crap out. Having some weird things happening. #1 my rotten egg smell is gone (anode toast)? #2 when we show up at our cabin every weekend and use the hot water it spits and chuffs from the hot water tap for a bit until we run it for a while, it also seems as if the hot water is more effervescent that usual, hard to explain that one. Seeing as we go away for a week at a time I worry the tank may be corroding out or close to it. I don't mind replacing it for peace of mind.

The power anode Corro-Protec CP-R POWERED Titanium Water Heater Anode Rod is suppose to work just fine for a 40 gal tank despite the short stature of the rod. Reviews online rate it very highly. I am concerned that my new tank with the "even" bigger magnesium rod will react with my well water and cause the rotten egg smell.

Cheers

Spitting out air after not running any water for awhile can sometimes result from a slow drip of the faucet.

There is almost always some amount of air dissolved in water, and the colder the water is, the higher the amount of air is that can stay dissolved in it. And when cool water warms up, some of the dissolved air in it can get forced out of solution and turn back into gas due to the temperature rise. This happens constantly in most all plumbing systems, when the cooler outside water hits the warmer interior temperature of your house, (or your water heater) but the amount of gas produced is so small that it's unnoticeable.

But if you have a dripping faucet, there is always new cold water coming into the pipes, carrying along dissolved air with it. Depending on the geometry of your pipes & plumbing fixtures, small pockets of air can then accumulate in a high point, waiting for you to turn on the faucet and let it out. The longer the time since you last used the faucet, the more time for air bubbles to build up this way.

Typically this would happen only at the faucet that is dripping, the air won't build up at other fixtures. And it doesn't explain the effervescence of the water or the lack of rotten egg smell, so I don't think you should change your plans for a new water heater. Just something to think about if the spitting faucet problem persists after your new heater is installed.

 

[Cudos]

Thank-You, will have to look for a slow drip somewhere. Do you have any thoughts on the rotten egg smell becoming worse again when I do replace the hot water tank with a new one. Am i correct in assuming its the Magnesium anode rod reacting with well water (iron) that causes the smell? and because my current rod has probably dissolved that could be why I don't smell the rotten egg anymore?

 

[Phog]

Thank-You, will have to look for a slow drip somewhere. Do you have any thoughts on the rotten egg smell becoming worse again when I do replace the hot water tank with a new one. Am i correct in assuming its the Magnesium anode rod reacting with well water (iron) that causes the smell? and because my current rod has probably dissolved that could be why I don't smell the rotten egg anymore?

Your theory makes sense to me, as I have heard that magnesium anodes produce rotten egg smell with certain types of hard water, but I have no experience with that & I'm not a pro. So I'm going to leave it to others here who are more knowledgeable to address that question. Good luck.

 

[Reach4]

Thank-You, will have to look for a slow drip somewhere. Do you have any thoughts on the rotten egg smell becoming worse again when I do replace the hot water tank with a new one. Am i correct in assuming its the Magnesium anode rod reacting with well water (iron) that causes the smell? and because my current rod has probably dissolved that could be why I don't smell the rotten egg anymore?

Yes.

As I understand it, the SRB is fed by magnesium (or aluminum + zinc) and sulfate and produces H2S.

Sanitizing your well and plumbing can help too.

 

[Cudos]

Hi and Thanks, sanitizing my well is not an option, artesian well, capped. So, if it is a good bet that the rotten egg smell will be back with the new heater (had it with the old) until, I believe the anode rod dissolved and I would like to avert that before installing the new tank. I have been researching this power anode. Titanium rod, reviews seem better than good. Any reason I shouldn't give it ago???? I want to avoid aluminum if possible. Anyone using one of this for any length of time?

Corro-Protec CP-R Water Heater Powered Titanium Anode Rod (40-89 Gallon Tank) - Eliminate Odor (Sulfur/rotten egg smell), Corrosion and Reduce Limescale

 

[KeithA]

Hi and Thanks, sanitizing my well is not an option, artesian well, capped. So, if it is a good bet that the rotten egg smell will be back with the new heater (had it with the old) until, I believe the anode rod dissolved and I would like to avert that before installing the new tank. I have been researching this power anode. Titanium rod, reviews seem better than good. Any reason I shouldn't give it ago???? I want to avoid aluminum if possible. Anyone using one of this for any length of time?

Corro-Protec CP-R POWERED Titanium Water Heater Anode Rod

I have not used this for any length of time, but just installed on this week. We just moved to a farm on a well, and had very stinky hot water. The hot water heater is only about 18 months old. I pulled the anode out and dumped a bottle of hydrogen peroxide in the tank and put a bull plug in for a couple of days to test it out and the smell was gone. I installed the Corro-Protec anode and have not had any smell return. Long term protection of the tank - I guess we'll see. I don't expect that hot water heaters have a long life on our farm - we have extremely soft water, and indications of both IRB and SRB.

 

[KeithA]

An update a month later - the rotten egg smell started to come back, although at a much lower level than before. I dumped a bottle of hydrogen peroxide into the tank and it cleared it right up again. I expect there is a significant biofilm still in the hot water tank, so perhaps that will die out in time, but right now it is much more manageable.

 

[Reach4]

An update a month later - the rotten egg smell started to come back, although at a much lower level than before. I dumped a bottle of hydrogen peroxide into the tank and it cleared it right up again. I expect there is a significant biofilm still in the hot water tank, so perhaps that will die out in time, but right now it is much more manageable.

Sorry the powered anode was not sufficient to fix this completely. Is the smell only hot, or some in cold?

Keith, I would sanitize my well and plumbing when you get a few days of nice weather. Planning and gathering test strips can be done while waiting. https://terrylove.com/forums/index....izing-extra-attention-to-4-inch-casing.65845/ is my write-up.

 

[Phog]

Any luck with the air spitting out of the faucets?

 

[WorthFlorida]

Air spitting out may have to do with a bad electric heating element. The heating element can get a hole in it and water will flash boil as it comes in contact with the internal element. When it spits water it may be extremely hot.

 

[Jadnashua]

To prevent the H2S gas, there are other metal anodes that can be used other than a powered one.

 

[VincentV3]

To prevent the H2S gas, there are other metal anodes that can be used other than a powered one.

Yes, but replacing the anode magnesium by an aluminium anode is not a good solution for 2 reasons:
1. The aluminum anode lasts less than the magnesium anode, so the life of the tank is affected.
2. Sulfur odors in hot water can be caused by major factors and one of them is bacterial overgrowth, which can be canceled with an anode only.

I think the $ 105 USD for a Corro-Protec is worth it. No more headaches, no more maintenance and no more smell!

 

[Reach4]

Yes, but replacing the anode magnesium by an aluminium anode is not a good solution for 2 reasons:
1. The aluminum anode lasts less than the magnesium anode, so the life of the tank is affected.
2. Sulfur odors in hot water can be caused by major factors and one of them is bacterial overgrowth, which can be canceled with an anode only.

I think the $ 105 USD for a Corro-Protec is worth it. No more headaches, no more maintenance and no more smell!

J'accuse!!! You are a shill, right?

That stubby little thing is going to protect the bottom area of the tank? I think not.

 

[Phog]

J'accuse!!! You are a shill, right?

That stubby little thing is going to protect the bottom area of the tank? I think not.

I won't make any judgement on the efficacy of the product (I actually do think it's possible that it could protect the entire tank just as has been stated), however I would like to point out that the Director of Marketing for Corro-Protec (located in Quebec Canada) is named Vincent Veilleux.

VincentV3, if you are indeed who you appear to be, please disclose your identity. Pretending to not be affiliated with the company makes people wonder why there is a need to be sneaky and devious, and creates the perception of being untrustworthy. It has the opposite effect from what is intended.

 

[Phog]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincent-veilleux-8262a7a3/?originalSubdomain=ca

 

[VincentV3]

VincentV3, if you are indeed who you appear to be, please disclose your identity. Pretending to not be affiliated with the company makes people wonder why there is a need to be sneaky and devious, and creates the perception of being untrustworthy. It has the opposite effect from what is intended.

Yes, I do work for the company. This makes me know the operation of the various systems (sacrificial anodes and current anodes). That's why I give you the extra information you need for the products. I never mentioned that I was not part of the company and the comments I give are facts, not opinions.

In the case of an anode with imposed current, the protection is done by the electrons sent by the anode. The electrons roam freely in the water and thus protect the entire tank. The most important is the quantity and quality of materials used to make the anode as well as the current sent by it that will determine the life of the anode.

I invite you to watch this video, which demonstrates how the principle is applied in different sectors:

In addition, you can find the same information I gave earlier in this document: http://www.npl.co.uk/upload/pdf/cathodic_protection_in_practise.pdf
'' Thus, large areas of a structure can be protected from a single anode and because of the high driving voltage, the anode can be placed remote from the structure. ''

Here are other links that explain the differences between the two technologies:
https://www.matcor.com/impressed-current-cathodic-protection/
https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/2186/impressed-current-anode

I also invite you to look for information about ACi Hybrid, which are imposed current anodes installed in high quality hot water tanks (Thermor and Atlantic in Europe).

 

[Reach4]

We can discuss this on a better level now, I think. Looking at the Matcor offerings, as you linked to, you will note that they will use long anodes or even ring anodes to get the anodes closer to the target. While they can put an anode farther by use off a deep well, they try to keep the differences in distance from anode to protected areas not too different. Are you implying that the ACi Hybrid WH uses a stubby anode, and therefore stubby anodes are good?It seems to me that a stubby electrode at one end of a highboy WH leaves the other end significantly less protected. [bad link removed]

The only place the anode is needed is where there is an imperfection in the glass lining. If we were to assume the only flaw was at the bottom of the tank, a short anode could protect that. If we presume many little flaws distributed around the tank, the available current will be more at the areas closer to the anode.

In the above sketch, the red represents the positive anode. The green lines are trying to represent the available current density to protect various parts of the tank. A better drawing would have had the anode off-center, but that would be the case long or short. A useful graphic, I think, would be to represent the voltage at various points presuming a certain water conductivity such as might occur with 500 ppm of dissolved solids. That kind of graph is beyond me. It must exist on the web, I would think, but I don't find it.

I am not a pro, and I am not speaking as an authority.

I find http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a081707.pdf printed page numbers 10..13 showing water tank protective anodes for a water tank. The illustrations indicate that the range of protection is limited for a given anode. It is an old document, but they knew what they were doing back in 1979 too.