Get an anode rod made out of magnesium if possible. You shower, bath and drink the water that comes from the water heater, magnesium dissolved in your water is not bad for you, but aluminum dissolved in your water can possibly have neurological problems.
I don't think I'd want to drink the hot water because of the lead, fluoride, plastics, whatever else that's there. I did read about avoiding aluminum rods though. Ideally I guess a whole house filter is probably best to avoid absorbing toxins through the skin. And that could probably also prolong the life of the water heater and other appliances. Thanks for making the point.
Factory installed rods had always been magnesium. But, in some cases, if you have well water, an aluminum rod is used sometimes to eliminate the "rotten egg smell". But if you have good well water or your on city water, stick with the magnesium.
TIP: loosen the anode BEFORE DRAINING. an empty tank is way easier to spin when torquing the anode bolt. my factory installed anode was a problem to remove. i used wd40 and various other bolt loosener, a compressed air impact wrench, but finally was able to remove the anode using a breaker bar with a pipe extension pulling with my left hand while my right hand held the relief valve and my knee braced against the tank (left a small dent). i reinstalled the anode using much less force. after draining and anode servicing i pour a few gallons of white vinegar to soak overnight to dissolve scale. i swapped out the plastic drain valve with a straight through brass drain ball valve. i do not trust plastic as it might become brittle over time.
Well, if I didn't have the impact wrench, or it hadn't worked for me, I would probably have been trying some of those things too. Changing the plastic drain valve for brass is a great idea.
Right, it seems there are differing opinions about that from various professionals on UA-cam. I've watched some say that if you are changing the anode after a few years then you are better off not flushing since it may do more harm than good. Also I didn't see a lot of sediment coming out when I drained the two tanks a little. Perhaps it's also more important for electric heaters where the elements are immersed in the tank? The ones I did were gas. Thanks for the comment.
Hint for others....if you buy the segmented sausage link design.... go for the ones that use a braided stainless steel line to connect the sections.....cheaper ones use regular carbon steel braided line....and I would not want to risk those corroding and then losing a sausage ( !) in the tank......
Taking the cost of a new water heater into consideration, I installed a Corro-Protec powered anode in my new heater. It has a titanium anode connected to a power supply. It should prevent calcium build-up that can inhibit the effectiveness of a passive sacrificial anode. It's a good idea to drain the tank every few years too.
I also installed an electric anode in my new water heater because the sacrificial anodes caused sulfur dioxide (rotten eggs) smell. After 8 years the e-anode is going strong with no smell and the heater parts remain protected. My water is from a well.
you DO NOT want the anode rod laying on the bottom or touching the tank anywhere inside, except via the threaded hex bushing. other models/brands the anode rod is integrated into the hot outlet nipple, some may have multiple rods in different locations, indirect, commercial some electric with side connections. EDIT: at 8:47 the tank bottom is not the far down, you're still about one rod too long. the bottom is a big dome shape where the flame burns in, tapered up the center flue tube, plus there's other space used in the bottom for the burner/pilot, flame arrestor/cutoff device, placed there to help stop and explosion from flammable vapors entering it. an easy rule of thumb is not having it any lower than the middle of the gas valve control height. for electric and indirect that's different of course
Thanks for the info. I'm gonna check. I have a camera that I received in exchange for a review. I can drop it inside the tank and will post a video of what I find. It will be interesting to see.
@@TVwatcher-ic3ne I was concerned about that too but was able to pull both of them out at an angle. In the worst case you may be able to bend or cut the bar if necessary. With the new ones that come in sections you don't need to worry about the height, but in my case I could probably have put in single piece bars.
The steel cable will last. It is protected by the action of the anode rod. One thing is important. The anode rod fitting MUST make electrical contact with the tank metal. (Does the Teflon tape prevent this connection?)
Will the plain steel will reduce the effectiveness of the anodes? Is it diluting the protection? Or, is that just by a negligible amount? These are questions that come to mind. I don't think the tape will affect electrical contact with the tank. In my mind the tape is neither an insulation nor a seal. It's just there to help get the tapered threads solidly engaged with each other. There should be be multiple points of metal to metal contact if the threads are tight.
@@DIYWithJC FYI from a retired thread head: Tapered Pipe threads (NPT) seat on the middle/straight flanks of the sawtooth thread form. At that point the roots (valleys)and crests (points) of both internal AND external are not creating a metal to metal seal, but toleranced to leave a void between roots and crests The Teflon tape (or pipe dope) is absolutely necessary to fill that gap & ensure root/crest sealing. Only NPSF threads used in fuel systems are toleranced tight enough (
@@dhgmllcshea5038 That's interesting. I thought that there was some deformation of the taper that would cause metal to metal contact all around. But are you saying that the contact is not around the entire circumference therefore requiring tape or pipe dope to fill the voids? If that's the case then it makes sense that you need the tape.
@@DIYWithJCFirst, I forgot to say Thank You for your video. Second, yes- but while there are some "roundness" issues around the circumference that the tape/sealant will help with, I was pointing out that the basic thread form "triangles" are not sharp points that match perfectly at the OD and ID of the threads. There is one spiral leak path at the ID and one at the OD of the threads because the (not quite) sharp points of the thread do not EXACTLY match the not quite sharp valleys that they engage. If you google NPT Threads toy will see diagrams of the mating threads that make this clearer.
"Performance" is the lower-grade Rheem units sold in major box stores to the public.... "Classic Professional" Series is the plumber-install pro grade....don't confuse the 2.
Wasn't aware of that. However, the more expensive of the two was offered and installed by the local gas utility company. The cheaper one was bought at the box store.
@@DIYWithJC ..kinda what I'm saying....hard for the DIY'er to buy and self install the Pro unit. Seems normal folks can only buy the Performance model with some less-costly components...plastic drain valve.....cheaper electric heating element, etc....... availabe from the box stores for anyone to purchase
I would take the last section of rod off. You might have a galvanic reaction where the rod touches the tank floor. It might eat a hole through the bottom of the tank.
Yea, wouldn't want that! Thanks for confirming my suspicions. I don't know how much of my vid you watched, but at the end I did take the rods out again and did what you said.
For sacrificial anodes to work correctly, there must be electrical continuity with the wall of the tank, otherwise it won't protect the wall of the tank. The way these things work, they produce a tiny negative electrical charge on the wall of the tank, which slows the process of wall oxidation (rust). The last time I changed one of these out I checked for continuity, wondering if the teflon tape would interfere. It doesn't. Contact at the bottom is just fine, maybe even preferable.
I would rather use a long breaker bar before using an impact gun. Also a small powered anode rod is much better, Granted there pricy, but a (Corro-Protec) Powered Anode Rod for Water Heater, 20-Year Warranty, Eliminates Rotten Egg/Sulfur Smell within 24 hours, Stops Corrosion and Reduces Limescale, Electrical Anode Rod Made of Titanium. Regular anode replacement rod is about $35 to $55 at Home Depot. The powered anode rod, is $145 at Amazon and $165 at Home Depot, but remember, lots of china knock offs, if you go for the expensive one, suggest you buy directly from the US manufacturer.
These tanks are just sitting on the ground - not fastened. Even full of water I could feel one tank shifting when I used just a short wrench. The impact wrench doesn't turn the tank. The powered rod seems like a good idea.
Another hint.....any breaker bar or "pressure" affect usually doesn't work to get the rod out. To illustrate...it's like saying a constant and forceful "pressure" will drive a nail into wood. Won't work. You need an impulse added to the actual pressure applied. If you don't use an impacr wrench, then use the standard tools you have but tap the end of the lever handle with a mallet ( rubber mallet works)....this gives the desired "impact" to help loosen the nut.
But why? The supply is all copper. It seems that those were for use when you have dissimilar metals being used in a system. It also seems that dielectric unions have not been shown to be effective and have gone out of favor. Am I missing something?
Where are you located? What is the water like where you are at? Hard, soft, what common problems in your area does the water have? Didn't the instructions on the flexible anode rod say anything about whether to shorten it or not if it was in danger of touching the bottom?
I would guess hard water. I just changed a 14 year old anode rod at my mountain condo where the water is soft and frankly I needn't have bothered - it looked new. Down at my LA area home, where the water is hard, they look like the ones in the video after a few years. When I did my lady friend's 15 year old rod, there was literally nothing left.
I remember reading somewhere that you can cut the rod. I don't remember it giving reasons why. BTW, it's in NJ and probably the water is somewhere in the middle - neither hard nor soft.
@@DIYWithJC Nah, everything in contact should be protected but I imagine the segmented anode doesn't last quite as long. I figure I'll do this again in 4~5 years.
Isn't the idea of a sacrificial rod is that it will decay before anything else in the tank, including whatever steel is used in the anode rod? Makes me think it doesn't matter if it is stainless or not.
Right, I'm actually going to check it soon when I look inside the tank with a camera scope. I want to see what the tank looks like on the inside and on the bottom.
Warranty are based on up grade in materials to extend the warranty from six to ten years that’s why the two anodes you can add another anode to both your heaters by disconnecting the hot water side of the heater and remove the galvanized nipple and get a anode rod that attaches to it Amazon carries them just get the that come in sections like the ones you installed earlier
Why would you spend $160 (not including the cost of power) vs $20 for something that does the same thing? As long as you change out the anode every 3 years you should be good.
Anode Rods constantly give us the odour of rotten eggs. The electric Anode has stopped this and there is no more sediment collecting on the bottom of the tank @@rak8095
The cost of power is about 1 or 2 dollars a year, and that anode can be good for20 30 or more years and can be transfered to another tank. Also it doesn't degrade with crumbles piling on the bottom of the tank lke the factory of does. @rak8095
@@rak8095 One of my water heaters is in a difficult to reach location. I have to take shelves out to work on the anode. I don't even have space to put a leak pan under it. The heater is expensive, so if I get twenty-plus years out of it, it's worth it. The power draw is very small. I bought sacrificial anodes for another heater, and they were $40 each.
After finally finding the motivation to do an anode change, I did one with the corro-protect replacement in a hybrid electric water heater last Sunday. Would you happen to have any opinion on these electric anode rods?
Yea, I think those are a great idea, especially if they really can extend the life of a water heater for say another decade. It also eliminates the need for multiple anode rod changes over the years. Seems like it's worth it, although what worries me is if the power supply goes bad and you didn't realize it. Then you would have no protection. It's probably a good idea to test it periodically.
@@DIYWithJC Yeah, that's my concern as well. I have a weekly reason to be in the same room as the water heater, and the wall wort for the unit has a bright green light to indicate a completed circuit with operating power. I'll check it on the list of chores.
Those old anodes still have material, so what is the purpose to replace? is not that material what is the thing to work in the water heater, why remove them? Then put another new when still has material there, I don't get it.
Well, it's like you don't wait till your brake pads get down to the metal before changing them. And if you already have the new parts why not just change them. But you're right, if you can monitor the condition of the rods and guess how long they will stay effective, then you could just leave them in.
@@DIYWithJC got you. of course, brake pads are a totally different thing. The companies should give us a glass or something to see and check so we don't have to remove it to check. very absurd.
@@HeydaCarreras It's all about the money I guess. To add that window on a pressure vessel would need a seal as well as the glass and it would add labor cost. At least these units don't have the rods covered with insulation like some I've seen on UA-cam.
@@DIYWithJC yes. mine is A.O. smith and easy to get to. The drain valve is plastic, what about replace that for a metal one? The water heater never been flash, no anode rod, it has like 4 years. I never tested the pressure valve either.
It doesn't seem to be that delicate and the impact wrench is only giving it tiny little impacts. The advantage seems to be that it doesn't turn the tank. I've seen other videos of people putting straps on the tank to prevent turning. I also imagine that most of the force is dissipated by the water in the tank. If I didn't have the impact wrench then I would have used a bar.
Ok I get it. There's something satisfying about doing it the old way right?! I just have this impact wrench that I got in exchange for a review and it was the second time I've had chance to use it.
@@chazits I saw another UA-cam where someone had something covering the rod and they just hacked away at it. You're sure it's the rod right? How about a small chisel, or drill multiple holes to get down to the plug? Just stay away from any epoxy dust and the fumes if the epoxy gets heated up. Perhaps a vacuum with a HEPA filter would help with that. That's just my thoughts. Good luck!
@@chazits I put a "cheater bar" on my socket wrench handle. It's just a piece of pipe. I don't use it on the ratchet, just the swivel. Don't completely drain the tank. The weight of the water in the tank can help keep the tank from rotating. I had to put a strap on a tank that I'd drained. If you have an earthquake strap, you probably don't have to worry about it.
Stainless steel is bad to ingest because it might leach Chrome-6 into hot water. If a steel cable rusts, iron is ok to ingest in small amounts. I would think the amount would be parts per million which would be safe. The stainless steel......I'm not sure. Can anyone answer that question? But I do know that Chromium-6 is a carcinogen.
That's interesting. Through a little browsing it seems that 300 series stainless is used as "food grade" stainless. I think similar steel is used for cables too. Those materials (I think it said) have 18% chromium. Like you said about iron, perhaps there will only be trace amounts of Cr when using stainless steel that actually leaches into the water. I guess you have to pick your poison!
Honestly you should never be consuming hot tap water. It's a heated tank that only gets rinsed out as often as the homeowner does it. In most cases, never.
@@okymek I wouldn't disagree with that.....not drinking out of the hot side......but really the hot water tank gets used at least every day....sometimes multiple times a day. It should be potable.
Thank you. Appreciate the offer, and yes I have seen your powered anode rods. It seems you have a nice product that makes sense considering the cost of water heater installation. I don't really have the time right now, unless perhaps you could send two - one for each boiler. Then it may be worthwhile to invest time to make another installation video.
@corro-protec Would you recommend using one of your electric rods for a water heater that’s near the end of its life? Ours is about 15 years old and I need to change the rod as we’re noticing the smell, but I don’t want to waste an expensive electric one on a water heater that might not last very long.
@@NevrNewd Since your water heater is over 15 years old, I recommend replacing it and installing our product in a new tank for the best results. If you prefer to install it in your current tank, you can still remove and reuse the same Corro-Protec anode when you upgrade to a new tank. 😊
That's how it's done in Jersey - and have been fire department approved. Perhaps where you are there is a different code? Ovens and dryers I can see because they sometimes need to be moved, but water heaters? What's the risk?
Didn't know that, and until you mentioned it I didn't know what that was. Thanks for pointing that out. If you have a minute I'd like to know where it appears in the video to be sure where you saw that. Any plumbing you see was done by other people, except for changing the anode.
I haven't had experience with more powerful wrenches but I thought it did a good job once it was turned on high. But I don't doubt that you've used much better and more expensive tools.
Get an anode rod made out of magnesium if possible. You shower, bath and drink the water that comes from the water heater, magnesium dissolved in your water is not bad for you, but aluminum dissolved in your water can possibly have neurological problems.
I don't think I'd want to drink the hot water because of the lead, fluoride, plastics, whatever else that's there. I did read about avoiding aluminum rods though. Ideally I guess a whole house filter is probably best to avoid absorbing toxins through the skin. And that could probably also prolong the life of the water heater and other appliances. Thanks for making the point.
Drinking water doesn’t come from the hot water tank unless you like blazing hot tap water..
@@DK-pr9ny I guess you have never heard of WARM water or anything else between cold and BLAZING HOT. Next.
@@EC-mc7vg Would be a fool to drink water from a hot water tank. Heat it up in the microwave or stove.
Factory installed rods had always been magnesium. But, in some cases, if you have well water, an aluminum rod is used sometimes to eliminate the "rotten egg smell". But if you have good well water or your on city water, stick with the magnesium.
TIP: loosen the anode BEFORE DRAINING. an empty tank is way easier to spin when torquing the anode bolt.
my factory installed anode was a problem to remove. i used wd40 and various other bolt loosener, a compressed air impact wrench, but finally was able to remove the anode using a breaker bar with a pipe extension pulling with my left hand while my right hand held the relief valve and my knee braced against the tank (left a small dent).
i reinstalled the anode using much less force.
after draining and anode servicing i pour a few gallons of white vinegar to soak overnight to dissolve scale.
i swapped out the plastic drain valve with a straight through brass drain ball valve. i do not trust plastic as it might become brittle over time.
Well, if I didn't have the impact wrench, or it hadn't worked for me, I would probably have been trying some of those things too. Changing the plastic drain valve for brass is a great idea.
Probably would have been a good idea to flush the water heater from potential sediment while you were replacing the anode.
Right, it seems there are differing opinions about that from various professionals on UA-cam. I've watched some say that if you are changing the anode after a few years then you are better off not flushing since it may do more harm than good. Also I didn't see a lot of sediment coming out when I drained the two tanks a little. Perhaps it's also more important for electric heaters where the elements are immersed in the tank? The ones I did were gas. Thanks for the comment.
@@DIYWithJCflushing out the debris yearly is important to prevent 'bumping' from cavitation and maintaining proper heat transfer from the burner.
I flush (it's really a partial flush (10 gallons)) every 6 months. Mine was installed in 1991 and I've never changed the anode rod.
Hint for others....if you buy the segmented sausage link design.... go for the ones that use a braided stainless steel line to connect the sections.....cheaper ones use regular carbon steel braided line....and I would not want to risk those corroding and then losing a sausage ( !) in the tank......
Taking the cost of a new water heater into consideration, I installed a Corro-Protec powered anode in my new heater. It has a titanium anode connected to a power supply. It should prevent calcium build-up that can inhibit the effectiveness of a passive sacrificial anode. It's a good idea to drain the tank every few years too.
Perhaps depends on how much calcium is in your water supply, but seems like a good way.
I also installed an electric anode in my new water heater because the sacrificial anodes caused sulfur dioxide (rotten eggs) smell. After 8 years the e-anode is going strong with no smell and the heater parts remain protected. My water is from a well.
@@doughoffman9463 That's good to know I just installed mine last April. I hope it lasts a long time.
you DO NOT want the anode rod laying on the bottom or touching the tank anywhere inside, except via the threaded hex bushing.
other models/brands the anode rod is integrated into the hot outlet nipple, some may have multiple rods in different locations, indirect, commercial some electric with side connections.
EDIT: at 8:47 the tank bottom is not the far down, you're still about one rod too long. the bottom is a big dome shape where the flame burns in, tapered up the center flue tube, plus there's other space used in the bottom for the burner/pilot, flame arrestor/cutoff device, placed there to help stop and explosion from flammable vapors entering it.
an easy rule of thumb is not having it any lower than the middle of the gas valve control height. for electric and indirect that's different of course
Thanks for the info. I'm gonna check. I have a camera that I received in exchange for a review. I can drop it inside the tank and will post a video of what I find. It will be interesting to see.
Thanks JC remember that God loves you! 🙂
I tighten the rod a bit then I reverse to get the rod out. Putting it back I use a hand bar.
Sounds like you know what you're doing.
You should have got a Original Rheem Anode Rod , I just ordered a original Rudd Rod for my Water Heater and it was only $15.88 shipped .
Well, this was the first time I ever did this and ordering on Amazon was easy. Next time I may try the OEM part. Thanks for the suggestion.
The original doesn’t bend does it? Mine’s installed with limited clearance above is why i ask. Planning to do this soon.
@@TVwatcher-ic3ne I was concerned about that too but was able to pull both of them out at an angle. In the worst case you may be able to bend or cut the bar if necessary. With the new ones that come in sections you don't need to worry about the height, but in my case I could probably have put in single piece bars.
The steel cable will last. It is protected by the action of the anode rod. One thing is important. The anode rod fitting MUST make electrical contact with the tank metal. (Does the Teflon tape prevent this connection?)
Will the plain steel will reduce the effectiveness of the anodes? Is it diluting the protection? Or, is that just by a negligible amount? These are questions that come to mind. I don't think the tape will affect electrical contact with the tank. In my mind the tape is neither an insulation nor a seal. It's just there to help get the tapered threads solidly engaged with each other. There should be be multiple points of metal to metal contact if the threads are tight.
@@DIYWithJC The plain steel has no more effect than equivalent area of inner surface of the metal tank.
@@DIYWithJC FYI from a retired thread head:
Tapered Pipe threads (NPT) seat on the middle/straight flanks of the sawtooth thread form. At that point the roots (valleys)and crests (points) of both internal AND external are not creating a metal to metal seal, but toleranced to leave a void between roots and crests The Teflon tape (or pipe dope) is absolutely necessary to fill that gap & ensure root/crest sealing.
Only NPSF threads used in fuel systems are toleranced tight enough (
@@dhgmllcshea5038 That's interesting. I thought that there was some deformation of the taper that would cause metal to metal contact all around. But are you saying that the contact is not around the entire circumference therefore requiring tape or pipe dope to fill the voids? If that's the case then it makes sense that you need the tape.
@@DIYWithJCFirst, I forgot to say Thank You for your video.
Second, yes- but while there are some "roundness" issues around the circumference that the tape/sealant will help with, I was pointing out that the basic thread form "triangles" are not sharp points that match perfectly at the OD and ID of the threads. There is one spiral leak path at the ID and one at the OD of the threads because the (not quite) sharp points of the thread do not EXACTLY match the not quite sharp valleys that they engage. If you google NPT Threads toy will see diagrams of the mating threads that make this clearer.
Great idea buying from OEM Mfg., if ceiling does not allow installation of the whole thing, trim it. Without a hammer drill it won’t come out.
A 3’ breaker bar works fine to loosen the anode rods too, you don’t need to use an impact if you don’t have one.
Good thing about the impact driver is that it doesn't rotate the tank so you can do it easily by yourself.
@@DIYWithJC My impact driver wouldn't budge the rod. The breaker bar upended the tank even when full, even after I soaked the top with solvent.
Hold the Teflon tape roll the other way around when wrapping threads.. DoH 🤔
What does that do?
@@DIYWithJC makes it easier to apply when winding around. Try it.
@@WApnj Thanks!...will do.
"Performance" is the lower-grade Rheem units sold in major box stores to the public.... "Classic Professional" Series is the plumber-install pro grade....don't confuse the 2.
Wasn't aware of that. However, the more expensive of the two was offered and installed by the local gas utility company. The cheaper one was bought at the box store.
@@DIYWithJC ..kinda what I'm saying....hard for the DIY'er to buy and self install the Pro unit. Seems normal folks can only buy the Performance model with some less-costly components...plastic drain valve.....cheaper electric heating element, etc....... availabe from the box stores for anyone to purchase
@@TheWilferch Right, that seems to be how the manufacturers keep both camps happy.
Dude you’re a Jack of all trades. 👍🏽
That's something I was warned not to become, but look what happened!
@@DIYWithJC "Jack of all trades, master of none. Still better than master of one" is how the saying goes:)
The anode material will prevent the steel cable from corroding as long as you change it before all the anode is gone.
Thanks - good to know!
could be a good way to check for counterfeit anodes.
I would take the last section of rod off. You might have a galvanic reaction where the rod touches the tank floor. It might eat a hole through the bottom of the tank.
Yea, wouldn't want that! Thanks for confirming my suspicions. I don't know how much of my vid you watched, but at the end I did take the rods out again and did what you said.
If they were touching the corrosion would occur in the anode, not in the tank
For sacrificial anodes to work correctly, there must be electrical continuity with the wall of the tank, otherwise it won't protect the wall of the tank. The way these things work, they produce a tiny negative electrical charge on the wall of the tank, which slows the process of wall oxidation (rust). The last time I changed one of these out I checked for continuity, wondering if the teflon tape would interfere. It doesn't. Contact at the bottom is just fine, maybe even preferable.
I would rather use a long breaker bar before using an impact gun. Also a small powered anode rod is much better, Granted there pricy, but a (Corro-Protec)
Powered Anode Rod for Water Heater, 20-Year Warranty, Eliminates Rotten Egg/Sulfur Smell within 24 hours, Stops Corrosion and Reduces Limescale, Electrical Anode Rod Made of Titanium.
Regular anode replacement rod is about $35 to $55 at Home Depot. The powered anode rod, is $145 at Amazon and $165 at Home Depot, but remember, lots of china knock offs, if you go for the expensive one, suggest you buy directly from the US manufacturer.
These tanks are just sitting on the ground - not fastened. Even full of water I could feel one tank shifting when I used just a short wrench. The impact wrench doesn't turn the tank. The powered rod seems like a good idea.
Another hint.....any breaker bar or "pressure" affect usually doesn't work to get the rod out. To illustrate...it's like saying a constant and forceful "pressure" will drive a nail into wood. Won't work. You need an impulse added to the actual pressure applied. If you don't use an impacr wrench, then use the standard tools you have but tap the end of the lever handle with a mallet ( rubber mallet works)....this gives the desired "impact" to help loosen the nut.
Handy Andy.... You might want to install dielectric unions to prolong the heaters life
But why? The supply is all copper. It seems that those were for use when you have dissimilar metals being used in a system. It also seems that dielectric unions have not been shown to be effective and have gone out of favor. Am I missing something?
Where are you located? What is the water like where you are at? Hard, soft, what common problems in your area does the water have? Didn't the instructions on the flexible anode rod say anything about whether to shorten it or not if it was in danger of touching the bottom?
I would guess hard water. I just changed a 14 year old anode rod at my mountain condo where the water is soft and frankly I needn't have bothered - it looked new. Down at my LA area home, where the water is hard, they look like the ones in the video after a few years. When I did my lady friend's 15 year old rod, there was literally nothing left.
I remember reading somewhere that you can cut the rod. I don't remember it giving reasons why. BTW, it's in NJ and probably the water is somewhere in the middle - neither hard nor soft.
The cable shouldn't rust as long as the anode is good.
Makes me wonder though, if the anode is protecting itself wouldn't that take away from protecting the tank?
@@DIYWithJC Nah, everything in contact should be protected but I imagine the segmented anode doesn't last quite as long. I figure I'll do this again in 4~5 years.
Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Neat plan
thanks for sharing
My pleasure
Isn't the idea of a sacrificial rod is that it will decay before anything else in the tank, including whatever steel is used in the anode rod? Makes me think it doesn't matter if it is stainless or not.
Right, I'm actually going to check it soon when I look inside the tank with a camera scope. I want to see what the tank looks like on the inside and on the bottom.
Good video
Thanks!
Thank you.
Welcome!
It’s possible that there are two anode rods in the last water heater
Don't see another one. The top of both heaters is identical. I believe the main difference is the warranty period.
Warranty are based on up grade in materials to extend the warranty from six to ten years that’s why the two anodes you can add another anode to both your heaters by disconnecting the hot water side of the heater and remove the galvanized nipple and get a anode rod that attaches to it Amazon carries them just get the that come in sections like the ones you installed earlier
Dong Chang impact driver? I don’t know 🤷♂️ Your wiring could be cleaned up some.
The Dong Cheng actually worked pretty good once I turned it up on high. You're right about the wiring - but it wasn't me who did it!
I use an electric anode, called Corro-Protec
Great idea, although it seems you still need to monitor the power supply to make sure it's functioning correctly.
Why would you spend $160 (not including the cost of power) vs $20 for something that does the same thing? As long as you change out the anode every 3 years you should be good.
Anode Rods constantly give us the odour of rotten eggs. The electric Anode has stopped this and there is no more sediment collecting on the bottom of the tank @@rak8095
The cost of power is about 1 or 2 dollars a year, and that anode can be good for20 30 or more years and can be transfered to another tank. Also it doesn't degrade with crumbles piling on the bottom of the tank lke the factory of does. @rak8095
@@rak8095 One of my water heaters is in a difficult to reach location. I have to take shelves out to work on the anode. I don't even have space to put a leak pan under it. The heater is expensive, so if I get twenty-plus years out of it, it's worth it. The power draw is very small. I bought sacrificial anodes for another heater, and they were $40 each.
After finally finding the motivation to do an anode change, I did one with the corro-protect replacement in a hybrid electric water heater last Sunday. Would you happen to have any opinion on these electric anode rods?
Yea, I think those are a great idea, especially if they really can extend the life of a water heater for say another decade. It also eliminates the need for multiple anode rod changes over the years. Seems like it's worth it, although what worries me is if the power supply goes bad and you didn't realize it. Then you would have no protection. It's probably a good idea to test it periodically.
@@DIYWithJC Yeah, that's my concern as well. I have a weekly reason to be in the same room as the water heater, and the wall wort for the unit has a bright green light to indicate a completed circuit with operating power. I'll check it on the list of chores.
Those old anodes still have material, so what is the purpose to replace? is not that material what is the thing to work in the water heater, why remove them? Then put another new when still has material there, I don't get it.
Well, it's like you don't wait till your brake pads get down to the metal before changing them. And if you already have the new parts why not just change them. But you're right, if you can monitor the condition of the rods and guess how long they will stay effective, then you could just leave them in.
@@DIYWithJC got you. of course, brake pads are a totally different thing. The companies should give us a glass or something to see and check so we don't have to remove it to check. very absurd.
@@HeydaCarreras It's all about the money I guess. To add that window on a pressure vessel would need a seal as well as the glass and it would add labor cost. At least these units don't have the rods covered with insulation like some I've seen on UA-cam.
@@DIYWithJC yes. mine is A.O. smith and easy to get to. The drain valve is plastic, what about replace that for a metal one? The water heater never been flash, no anode rod, it has like 4 years. I never tested the pressure valve either.
I’d recommend using a breaker bar and not an impact wrench. Just too much force for the heater
It doesn't seem to be that delicate and the impact wrench is only giving it tiny little impacts. The advantage seems to be that it doesn't turn the tank. I've seen other videos of people putting straps on the tank to prevent turning. I also imagine that most of the force is dissipated by the water in the tank. If I didn't have the impact wrench then I would have used a bar.
Correct.....more than intuition..... bottom area should not touch.....
I'm planning to open it back up and go in with a camera probe to make sure it doesn't soon. Thanks for the confirmation.
@@DIYWithJC ....👍
I prefer to break that initial friction by hand, with a long wrench bar than an impact. Impact would be my last resort
Ok I get it. There's something satisfying about doing it the old way right?! I just have this impact wrench that I got in exchange for a review and it was the second time I've had chance to use it.
Any ideas how to remove the rod the manufacturer epoxies in?
@@chazits I saw another UA-cam where someone had something covering the rod and they just hacked away at it. You're sure it's the rod right? How about a small chisel, or drill multiple holes to get down to the plug? Just stay away from any epoxy dust and the fumes if the epoxy gets heated up. Perhaps a vacuum with a HEPA filter would help with that. That's just my thoughts. Good luck!
@@DIYWithJC it's the anode rod, I can get a socket on it , but the epoxy is below the nut.
I'll try digging it out as you suggest .
@@chazits I put a "cheater bar" on my socket wrench handle. It's just a piece of pipe. I don't use it on the ratchet, just the swivel. Don't completely drain the tank. The weight of the water in the tank can help keep the tank from rotating. I had to put a strap on a tank that I'd drained. If you have an earthquake strap, you probably don't have to worry about it.
Those straight through type of drain valves are terrible. Need to put a swivel joint on before the hose. A quick connect set can also be rotated.
Yeah I may just drain into a pan next time.
Stainless steel is bad to ingest because it might leach Chrome-6 into hot water. If a steel cable rusts, iron is ok to ingest in small amounts. I would think the amount would be parts per million which would be safe. The stainless steel......I'm not sure. Can anyone answer that question? But I do know that Chromium-6 is a carcinogen.
That's interesting. Through a little browsing it seems that 300 series stainless is used as "food grade" stainless. I think similar steel is used for cables too. Those materials (I think it said) have 18% chromium. Like you said about iron, perhaps there will only be trace amounts of Cr when using stainless steel that actually leaches into the water. I guess you have to pick your poison!
Honestly you should never be consuming hot tap water. It's a heated tank that only gets rinsed out as often as the homeowner does it. In most cases, never.
@@okymek I wouldn't disagree with that.....not drinking out of the hot side......but really the hot water tank gets used at least every day....sometimes multiple times a day. It should be potable.
Friendly suggestion to properly deal with those bundle of electric wires I see in the background.
Haha! Yea, that guy was a little sloppy wasn't he. No, it wasn't me! But, you are right, I'll put it on my to do list.
@@DIYWithJC You have motivated me to go and check on my anode rods in my water heater!
Put in a powered anode and you won't have to do it again
Thanks for the suggestion. Will consider that next time.
This has to be a parody lol. Thanks for sharing ^^
...it's kind of a reality show version...
Where's yours?
Great video, JC! Have you ever tried a powered anode rod? Shoot us an email, and we’ll gladly send one your way for you to try!
Thank you. Appreciate the offer, and yes I have seen your powered anode rods. It seems you have a nice product that makes sense considering the cost of water heater installation. I don't really have the time right now, unless perhaps you could send two - one for each boiler. Then it may be worthwhile to invest time to make another installation video.
@corro-protec Would you recommend using one of your electric rods for a water heater that’s near the end of its life? Ours is about 15 years old and I need to change the rod as we’re noticing the smell, but I don’t want to waste an expensive electric one on a water heater that might not last very long.
@@NevrNewd Since your water heater is over 15 years old, I recommend replacing it and installing our product in a new tank for the best results. If you prefer to install it in your current tank, you can still remove and reuse the same Corro-Protec anode when you upgrade to a new tank. 😊
No flexline to the gas valve? Risky as hell.
That's how it's done in Jersey - and have been fire department approved. Perhaps where you are there is a different code? Ovens and dryers I can see because they sometimes need to be moved, but water heaters? What's the risk?
Shouldhave sanitized the heater and drain sediment.
What does that mean and why is it important?
You've got a code violation there. You're using a thread protector as a coupling.
Didn't know that, and until you mentioned it I didn't know what that was. Thanks for pointing that out. If you have a minute I'd like to know where it appears in the video to be sure where you saw that. Any plumbing you see was done by other people, except for changing the anode.
I think he may have wrapped the tape the wrong direction.
Ya think, but are you sure!?
That was certainly a piece of junk Chinese impact wrench
I haven't had experience with more powerful wrenches but I thought it did a good job once it was turned on high. But I don't doubt that you've used much better and more expensive tools.
What do you recommend?
All units shown on videos have this same hard time making it turn the first time.....not a valid complaint...as it ended up working.