George wrote:
(7-yr old 40-gal gas heater)

Our hot water got suddenly very 'rusty' two days ago. Cold water is
clear. I flushed the tank several times, and it still comes out dirty.
The company says to replace the anode rod. The question is, how?

It's threaded into the top of the tank. I've soaked around the head
with PB Blaster, but I doubt that's getting to the threads. Right now,
I'm using a 1/2" breaker bar with an extension pipe, and getting
nothing. I'm reluctant to use heat (acetylene), because, while the
insulation doesn't sustain combustion, it does sort of burn a little.

Any experience/suggestions would be appreciated. In particular, would
it be OK to use heat?

Thanks,
George


I used a breaker bar, with 1 1/8 socket, and pipe extension to loosen
mine. Was tight, but not to the point where I was worried that
something would give. Make sure the tank is nearly full, that will
give you something to pull against. I agree about not using a torch
to heat. On mine there was little room to get at it, even if you
wanted to heat it.