After another year, I did some more preventive
maintenance on my water heater. When I pulled
the anode, I found that it was coated with calcium
and other stuff thoughtfully supplied by our water
Co.

Mr. Ohmmeter (Hi, Speff!) indicated that conductivity
between the threads and the outside of the coating
was down to nearly nothing.

Several passes with the angle grinder deleted the
coating from the outside of the anode rod.
Ahh. Back down to nearly zero ohms.

Rinsed, taped and back in the tank.
Gas back on, depressure valve off. Water supply
back on. We are back on the air.

Sure glad I checked.

--Winston

"Winston" (clip) When I pulled the anode, I found that it was coated with
calcium and other stuff thoughtfully supplied by our water Co.(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Something I have never done. Where is the anode located, or how can I
recognize it?

Leo Lichtman wrote:
"Winston" (clip) When I pulled the anode, I found that it was coated with
calcium and other stuff thoughtfully supplied by our water Co.(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Something I have never done. Where is the anode located, or how can I
recognize it?

Older style water heaters have it located independently of anything
else. Look behind the exhaust stack. It's threaded into the top:
http://i.timeinc.net/toh/images/solu...eateratout.jpg

It looks like the head of a hex bolt, measuring 1-1/16" across the flats.

Newer style heaters have it sneakily hidden under the 'hot water out'
pipe. You disconnect the output pipe and unscrew the nip to which
it was connected, out of the tank. The anode is attached to the
bottom side.

If the tank hasn't been serviced recently, ion migration has caused
the threads of the anode and those of the top of the tank to 'become
one'. After you shut off the water and gas or electricity to the tank,
you may have to spray under the head with penetrating oil and stack ice
cubes in an open can over the anode head to shrink the parts away from
each other before wrenching it loose. This will require a breaker bar
or really long 1/2" drive ratchet.

If the tank is not firmly strapped to the wall, you will need to
come up with some sort of strap wrench to hold the top of the tank
so you can deal with Newton's Third Law when wrenching.

Beware of newer model replacement anodes. They have a series
resistor build in. (I have a bad feeling about series resistors
in this exceptionally low-resistance application).

--Winston

The thing you have really to worry about more is that calcium on the anode.
The big failure that I've seen with tanks is not the anode going but rather
the calcium insulating the tank allowing the wall to develop hot spots where
the water boils and erodes the wall.

--
Why isn't there an Ozone Hole at the NORTH Pole?

Bob May wrote:
The thing you have really to worry about more is that calcium on the anode.
The big failure that I've seen with tanks is not the anode going but rather
the calcium insulating the tank allowing the wall to develop hot spots where
the water boils and erodes the wall.

So I *wasn't* hallucinating.

During a water emergency last year, I connected our temporary water supply
"cough" um. backwards, which drove cold water into the 'hot' side of the
water heater. Clue: why is hot water coming out of the 'cold' tap?
Oh. Swap the supply into the 'cold' side and all is well.

For several days after this particular maneuver, the water coming out of
the 'hot' tap seemed to be somewhat hotter than normal. Guess the thermal
shock popped off some of that mineral 'insulation' from the inside of the
tank and efficiency went up a bit, for a while.

I will be darned. Thanks!

--Winston

Winston wrote:

Leo Lichtman wrote:

"Winston" (clip) When I pulled the anode, I found that it was coated
with calcium and other stuff thoughtfully supplied by our water Co.(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Something I have never done. Where is the anode located, or how can I
recognize it?


Older style water heaters have it located independently of anything
else. Look behind the exhaust stack. It's threaded into the top:
http://i.timeinc.net/toh/images/solu...eateratout.jpg

It looks like the head of a hex bolt, measuring 1-1/16" across the flats.

Newer style heaters have it sneakily hidden under the 'hot water out'
pipe. You disconnect the output pipe and unscrew the nip to which
it was connected, out of the tank. The anode is attached to the
bottom side.

If the tank hasn't been serviced recently, ion migration has caused
the threads of the anode and those of the top of the tank to 'become
one'. After you shut off the water and gas or electricity to the tank,
you may have to spray under the head with penetrating oil and stack ice
cubes in an open can over the anode head to shrink the parts away from
each other before wrenching it loose. This will require a breaker bar
or really long 1/2" drive ratchet.

If the tank is not firmly strapped to the wall, you will need to
come up with some sort of strap wrench to hold the top of the tank
so you can deal with Newton's Third Law when wrenching.

Beware of newer model replacement anodes. They have a series
resistor build in. (I have a bad feeling about series resistors
in this exceptionally low-resistance application).

--Winston


Might find the rod is very short - e.g. used up. Buy another at Sears or such.
Martin

--
Martin Eastburn, Barbara Eastburn
@ home at Lion's Lair with our computer
NRA LOH, NRA Life
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder

Martin H. Eastburn wrote:

(Replacing water heater anodes)

Might find the rod is very short - e.g. used up. Buy another at Sears
or such.
Martin

The Sears (U.S. department store) in my area doesn't carry them.
One needs to visit a real-life commercial plumbing supply store.
Be prepared to specify 'aluminum' or 'magnesium'.
Consider bringing along your existing anode for comparison.
Anodes with a 'bump' in the top of the hex head are magnesium.
Without the bump, it may be magnesium or aluminum.
Some later model anodes are an alloy of several non-ferrous
metals.


--Winston

Winston wrote:

Martin H. Eastburn wrote:

(Replacing water heater anodes)

Might find the rod is very short - e.g. used up. Buy another at Sears
or such.
Martin


The Sears (U.S. department store) in my area doesn't carry them.
One needs to visit a real-life commercial plumbing supply store.
Be prepared to specify 'aluminum' or 'magnesium'.
Consider bringing along your existing anode for comparison.
Anodes with a 'bump' in the top of the hex head are magnesium.
Without the bump, it may be magnesium or aluminum.
Some later model anodes are an alloy of several non-ferrous
metals.


--Winston

Hum - Used to and I have replaced an old one with a Sears big one.
Times change I suppose - now Sears Holding Company over KMART and Sears.
Wonder about Simson-Sears - same way or long gone ? Canada ??!

Martin

--
Martin Eastburn, Barbara Eastburn
@ home at Lion's Lair with our computer
NRA LOH, NRA Life
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder