On Fri, 7 Dec 2007 13:30:32 -0800 (PST), Doug Lassiter
wrote:



I'd bet that a 12 year warranty tank has both a combo anode and a hex
head anode. The only one that's likely practical to inspect is the hex
head, but it should give you a good idea of what's going on inside.

see here for PM ideas...

http://waterheaterrescue.com/pages/W...gevity/water-h...

I'd bet that the pry-off cap hides the hex head anode. I'd also bet
that you'll find it's in good shape but it doesn't hurt to look. I also
pulled one out of a water heater I had installed a year ago just
because. What you're looking for is some evidence of corrosion on the
anode, but not enough metal eaten away to expose significant amounts of
the core wire.

nate

-

Thanks. Makes sense that the hex head is probably under that plastic
cap. Worth a look, though it requires climbing around. I did see the
waterheaterrescue website, which is vastly more useful than anything
else I've seen, but I was hoping to get something more specific about
my own heater. That website is also very clear about how to evaluate
the condition of the anode.

My understanding is that the combo one is accessible by removing the
outlet line. That's feasible, but will take a little time to cool
things down enough to do it. Also, the mechanical arrangement isn't
obvious on that. Need to do some more reading on how combo anodes
work.

The unit is a $500 one, and while yes, 12 years from now, I can spend
another chunk of cash to get a new one, I would not mind seeing if it
is easy to get it to last longer. As to filling up with lime, yes,
that's a risk, but regular flushing actually does seem to do a pretty
good job. My last (6-year warranty) heater lasted about seven years,
and I never looked at the anode. I did flush it regularly, and when I
removed it, the tank was leakeing from corrosion, the anode was crap,
as it turned out, and there wasn't too much lime buildup. That's why
I'm interested in anodes!





I wouldnt even worry about the outlet rod. All you need is one rod to
be protected. If you pull the separate rod and its still in good
shape, thats all you need to know. If its eaten up, you put a new one
in, and again, you're good to go. The other rod may be gone or it may
still be in good shape, you dont care.

Another point is that the outlet rod is an integral part of the outlet
port. You wont find one of those at the big box stores.

The length of the warrenty is directly proportional to the size of the
anode rods. If you have a 12 year warrenty and its only 2 years into
its life, I think I'd wait a bit longer before trying to crack it
open. Unless you have really agressive water, you should only be
1/6th of the way into the lifetime of the rod(s).

I am on a well and around here the first thing water heater installers
do is remove the anode rod. I installed my own waterheater and didnt
know this. I've never smelled such stinky hot water. Tried a low
stink anode and it didnt help. Finally ended up removing the rod. The
previous water heater had a 7 year warrenty and ended up lasting 13
years. I didnt look but I'm sure it didnt have a rod either. It didnt
stink.

-dickm