This video didn't sound interesting, but his videos have never disappointed me:
Quote:
Since the tank is made of steel which, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but doesn’t really like to be in prolonged contact with water, a sacrificial anode rod often made of aluminum or magnesium pokes down into the water to take the corrosion bullet for the rest of the tank and keep it from rusting.
The top of that rod lives buried underneath the foam insulation that's underneath this plug, and it can actually be replaced!
If you do that regularly, it can extend the life of your water heater significantly.
But almost nobody does that, including me.
Yay laziness!
But this isn’t a home improvement channel…
|
Mom has complained many times about how quickly her water heaters die, could it be this [relatively] easy?
Home Depot has a 3-section anode for $35:
3/4 in. NPT X 42 in. 3-Section Aluminum Anode Rod
Lowe's has one for $40 and another for $50, so if you decide to do this, make sure you find out what kind of nipples your water heater has.
I certainly never thought I would use that sentence.
Imagine going to the store, seeing two types, calling home, and trying to cut to the chase: "Ma! What kind of..."
Both say "Can be installed with only 14-in clearance."
I would rather drill a hole in the ceiling and patch it afterward than replace my water heater more often than necessary, but I would totally pay a little extra for a three-section staff.
I wonder how this fellow would feel about one of those:
This is Amazon's choice:
Magnesium Water Heater Anode Rod (44 inch Flexible) 3/4" NPT Thread for Rheem, Reliance, Richmond, Kenmore, GE by Kelaro