water heater anode rod (Austin, Tool: insurance, homes, maintenance)

[Dwayne Lassiter]

I would ask this at a generic plumbing forum, but I suspect the answer depends on where you are and what your water is like. I welcome responses from experienced Austin plumbers (who aren't selling anode rods).

The question is, here in Austin, how important is it, for the life of a water heater, to replace the anode rod? Now an anode rod mitigates rust and corrosion, but with alkaline water with a significant mineral content, I would expect water heaters here to mainly expire because of mineral deposits. Anode rods don't prevent mineral deposits.

One can go through one or two hundred dollars of anode rods in a decade or two, and if they aren't really helping, why bother?

[bpvarian]

I think it is very important - no matter where you live. I pulled one out of a 8yo water heater here in Austin, and it was completely gone (literally just the frame). It is super cheap insurance IMHO. FYI, i have a "Blue Lightning 79098 Residential Magnesium Flexible Anode Rod, Hex Plug, 44-Inch" brand new in box that I would sell you cheap. I could not get my anode rod out of my tank and stripped the bolt while trying to do so (it is a very tight fit where my tank is). FYI - because it is all standard, you need a 27mm socket (or 1 & 1/16") - get a deep one if the bolt is buried under insulation. Home Depot sells a Husky 1 & 1/16" one, and I bought a 27mm (OEMTOOLS 22455 27 mm Metric Deep Socket) off Amazon.

Also, Google Matt Risinger and water heaters. matt is a local Austin builder, and he cuts apart water heaters (that came out of Austin Homes) and you can see how bad they are in inside - change that anode rod!!

[Merkin]

Change every 5 years

[Dwayne Lassiter]

OK, but that doesn't answer the question. The question was whether anode rods actually protect water heaters in Austin. That the anode rod itself decays doesn't tell me that. I can think of lots of stuff you could put in a water heater that would decay, and have no effect on the tank itself. Are water heaters in Austin bad inside BECAUSE of something the anode rod could have protected them from?

Matt Risinger's YouTube is nice, but the main fault in the tanks he cut apart was thick scale. Anode rods don't do anything about scale. So if you're in a community with softer water, anode rods might be better real preservatives for the tank.

Thanks for the info about the socket. I think I knew that, but your information is specific. I have to agree that there is some value in replacing the rod every five years or so, to slow down corrosion, but in Austin, it may not be corrosion that kills a water heater.

I have heard of strategies for flushing a water heater with acid to remove scale, but I've never seen a specific recipe for that. Would that acid flush destroy the anode rod? Maybe remove the rod during the flush?

[karpo1]

About the cost, Amazon seems to have cheapest anode rods for $9.49

[Trainwreck20]

Our water heaters have tended to last around 15 years while we heartily ignore them the whole time - no anode rod or water softener and no maintenance at all. My understanding, though, is that water characteristics can vary around the city (although I have lived north and south Austin).

[andy2000]

My understanding is that if the anode rod is corroding quickly, then it is protecting the tank. When it's completely gone, the tank starts corroding instead. How often it needs to be replaced depends on your water. The instructions for my tank says to check it not that long after installation to get an idea of how often to replace it.

[TexasRedneck]

Replace every 5 years. Cheaper than a new heater - by far.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by TexasRedneck

Replace every 5 years. Cheaper than a new heater - by far.

Won't stop a leak in year 15 though...or clean the pilot fuel tube and keep it from corroding...
Plenty of things contribute to the demise of a water heater.

[Dwayne Lassiter]

Yes, if the anode rod is corroding, the tank isn't corroding. BUT, if the tank gets killed by mineral deposits/scale long before it corrodes through, who the hell cares about an anode rod? This depends entirely on the kind of water you have, which is why I'm here, asking about Austin water. I'm guessing that with Austin water, mineral deposits/scale take out a water heater before corrosion does, with no anode rod replacement.

Generic "Always replace anode rods!" are what folks who sell anode rods say.

Again, let's keep it simple. Someone tell me that the corrosion that an anode rod prevents is more important in the life of a water heater in Austin than scale buildup. A good plumber would know.