On Dec 7, 8:01 pm, Mark F wrote:
Doug Lassiter wrote:
Hi -

I have a Whirlpool Flame-Lock 40 gallon gas water heater. It's about a
year old and has a 12-year warranty. I realize that in a year or two
I should be inspecting, and possibly replacing the sacrificial anode.
But the installation instructions and use & care guide for the heater
say little on how to do it. In particular, the instructions don't even
say where it is! In fact, the instructions say that "each water heater
contains at least one anode rod". NIce. Now maybe tell me how many
*mine* has?

Yes, I know that one kind of anode can be on the outlet, and another
can be in a separate port at the top of the water heater with a hex
head. But I don't know which I have, or if I have both. I also
understand that a 12-year warranty (versus a 6-year warranty) may
point to two such anodes. You would think that some documentation
would cover this.

There are two ports on top of the water heater (in addition to the
water inlet and outlet). One is filled with spray-in foam, and I'm
reluctant to go digging that stuff out to see what is under it.
Another has a plastic cap on it that is flush with the surface. (A
little hard to get back there to see what is under that cap.) There is
no *obvious* hex head sticking up anywhere.

It is quite perplexing that the support materials don't give this
info, though I guess that Whirlpool has no incentive to tell me how to
extend the life of the unit (though they do tell you how to drain and
flush in some detail).

Can anyone give me some pointers here?

Thanks,

Doug

many folks around here have had to replace their tanks in less than
10 years, sometimes 5, and someone finally noticed that there was no
water hammer cushioning device in their system; early fracturing
of the tank / liner. Good for plumbers, bad for homeowners. Had
to twist my contractor's arm quite hard to make him provide a catch
pan / drain to the outside for the eventual failure of the tank.
Idiots... /mark- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I'd also second the advice that at 2 yrs, it's not worth checking the
anode, unless you live in an area known for early tank failure. I
would start checking at about 4 years. I've got a heater with a 10
yr warranty and it must be about 7 yrs old now. I checked the anode
recently for second time and it's maybe 1/2 half gone.

The real question is whether replacing it makes any difference. I
don't doubt that the sacrificial anode does head off corrosion. This
is a well known concept. However, the question is whether the
original anode is sufficient to get the heater into the range where
other failure mechanisms become predominant and the tank will likely
fail from one of those. If that's the case, then replacing the anode
may not make a significant difference.