sccwr97
New Member
I have a dewalt cordless impact wrench. It can handle up to 800 ft lb. I will give it a try this weekend. I bought a generic anode rod and hopefully it can fit. Otherwise it’s almost $100 shipped from AO smith.
Anode rod replacement
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Jeff H Young
In the Trades
I bought one that was segmented sometimes head clearance is an issue as they can be quite long.
No reason not to use what you have as far as impact wrench it either works or dosent. Im interested to hear how it turns out I only did one and if I hear enough sucess storys I might do more. No one I know changes them here
No reason not to use what you have as far as impact wrench it either works or dosent. Im interested to hear how it turns out I only did one and if I hear enough sucess storys I might do more. No one I know changes them here
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Michael Young
In the Trades
The water heater has an expected life of 12-15 years. But yes, if you replace the anode every 3 years, you'll likely get 30+ years out of a 6-year heater. The anode is the only difference between a 6-year/9-year/12-year warranty heaters. Get a long cheater bar. Those anodes are a muthfucker to remove. Break out that impact wrench if you have one. It's gonna work ya
I don't refuse to do repairs on water heaters. It's not about "making more profit" by selling a heater. The reality is that almost all of the heaters I see are 6-year warranty heaters. Very few heaters will see problems in that 6-year period. After that, it generally isn't worth spending the money to fix an old heater; it's a better value for the homeowner to replace vs. repair. But sure, if a homeowner wants me to make a repair, I'll go with their decision.
I actually feel like I'm cheating the homeowner when I make a repair on an old heater that I know full well is past its prime... then Four months later it springs a leak and all the homeowner remembers is THAT freakin’ PLUMBER WHO WAS JUST OUT HERE!!!. Plumbers get cast as the bad guy when the homeowner ignores our best advice. So which is it? We're crooks for trying to weasel you into buying new equipment? or we're crooks for fixing a heater we know isn't worth fixing?
Jeff H Young
In the Trades
I dont do many Water heater repairs and am not proficient so I dont want to screw around hourly and charge homeowner and damn sure dont want to work for cheap. So I feel like its not the best value for either of us .
I would guess 800 ft pounds would bust it loose (the Anode)
I would guess 800 ft pounds would bust it loose (the Anode)
Master Plumber Mark
Sensitivity trainer and plumber of mens souls
Well did you win the battle or did you get yourself in trouble??
RZPhyxit
New Member
I have a 57 y.o female friend who has 20 rental units in CA that she performs most of the maintenance and remodeling for 30 years. She only installs Bradford White water heaters, all which have the anode rod under the hot water outlet. A few years ago she heard about anodes and started replacing the anode rods every 2 1/2 - 3 years with the "flexible" or articulated magnesium rods due to the low clearance height. The original full length rod had to be cut, with a caution of producing a spark if the gas is not turned off! (or some were corroded down to the core wire which flexes easily). Armed only with a pipe wrench and occasional pipe extending it to be a breaker bar, she has been able to do this alone. She only drains a gallon of water after turning off the cold inlet, relieves some pressure by turning on a hot water faucet indoors. This keeps the weight of the water heater; only once did someone else need to help stabilize from rotation. All of her heaters are strapped. This inspired me to look into my 12 year old Rheem, my fathers 8 year old AO Smith, and my sisters 10 year old Bradford White: none currently leaking. We called appliance service repairmen (25 - 35 yrs experience/careers): none had EVER changed one. We called our plumber of 15 years. The owner stated unless we had changed the anode at least every 2 - 3 years (with proof) since new installation, they WOULD NOT perform it (at any cost/rate). Due to newer climate/environmental regulations, only low-NOx heaters can be installed in CA which currently run in the $1000 + plumber installation costs= $1800- $2000 for a new gas heater. I still have my Owners Manual. Guess what? Under the Owners responsibility it states that annual flushing and inspection of the anode rod is OUR responsibility. I have pipe wrenches, crescent wrench, channel locks but only a 1/4" drive socket wrench and impact wrench. I ordered (H.Depot) $65: Tekton 1/2" drive x 14" flex head Ratchet and Tekton 1/2" drive 1 1/16" Deep 6 point socket (6 pts has more metal between the teeth to withstand higher torques) This set up with a 20" pipe slid over the ratchet handle for a breaker bar was sufficient to remove the hex bolt anode in my Rheem and Fathers AO Smith. We had to move back and forth (with some muscle force) to loosen at first. The 14" pipe wrench with a 20" pipe over the handle was required to remove the AO Smith nipple-combo-anode rod. End of story. 2 60+ y.o females with 1 93 y.o Father changed 3 anode rods in 3 different models in 3 weeks. We did move the vent hood for more access. It is recommended to flush the tank AFTER changing a corroded rod as some of the deposits may loosen from the rod as it is pulled out of the hole. Next post will show my pictures of what the rods removed looks like!.
RZPhyxit
New Member
Me again For my 12 y.o Rheem: I ordered Rheem OEM articulated aluminum $70 parts.rheem.com. For my Fathers 8 y.o AOSmith: OEM full length magnesium $100 supplyhouse.com. For my sisters 10 y.o Bradford White: OEM full length aluminum plus the heat trap insert (separate charge) $112 supplyjouse.com. Went OEM as i read that sometimes generic threads are off a bit and the water heater threads will have some leftover bits of deposit debris. Just wanted our 1st time attempt to go as smooth as possible
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