Jay Chan wrote:
If you can pull the anode rod up a few inches, you'll be able to see its
condition.
Thanks for the tip. But the threaded fitting of the anode rod is
totally rusted. I could not get it open with a large correctly-sized
wrench and gentle force. I didn't want to put too much force in case I
may jerk the whole waterheater and crack some other fittings. This is
a part of the reason why I chose not to examine the anode rod (the
other reason is lack of head room).
The replacements fold up, and unfold as you insert them. Ingenious
little device made for crawl-space WH's.
Now, _this_ is a useful piece of information. I thought I would have
to disconnect the waterheater, tilt it sideway before I could replace
the anode rod. Now that I know that I don't need to tilt the
waterheater to replace the anode rod, I think I can do the following
things now:
- Disconnect all the fittings.
- Use brutal force to unscrew the rusted anode rod, and examine it to
see how far it has gone after 4-years of use (this becomes the
benchmark).
Before you do that, spray the fitting with a penetrating oil spray. You
can use WD-40 (which does work somewhat, but it is more of an all
purpose lubricant and water displacer, hence the original meaning of the
name WD). A pure penetrating oil like "Nuts Off", CD2, or any of a dozen
other brands sold in hardware stores will probably be more effective.
- Replace the anode rod with a folding version.
- Cover 3/4 of the threaded area of the folding anode rod with teflon
tape. Hopefully, it will be unscrewed easier next time.
- Replace the rigid fittings with flexible fittings.
When I need to examine the anode rod periodically, I only need to do
this:
- Unscrew the anode rod and take a look and then put it back.
I have one question though:
- What is the folding anode rod called?
- Do you know where I can order it? Our local plumbing supply stores
don't sell any anode rod any more (they want people to replace the
whole waterheater).
Thanks in advance for any additional info.
Jay Chan
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