New water heater anode rod removed question.

[Sleepydogguy]

Hello,

I am very uneducated when it comes to these things but have found good information here in the past. We recently had our water heater leak and replaced it. Upon replacing it, we spoke to our water filter company who suggested we remove the anode rod. He has since come by after the water heater replacement and cut out the anode rod and screwed back on the top sans rod.

He mentioned that the anode rod really doesn't do anything and they just cause issues, especially on well water. I can't find any evidence to support this and all i read is that not replacing the anode rod, which is an essential part of the water heater, will drastically lower the life of our new water heater.

Does the anode rod truly extend the life of the water heater? Am I overreacting or should I seek a different professional to install a new anode rod which we just removed.

 

[Reach4]

A sacrificial anode can support sulfate producing bacteria (SRB) to produce H2S. Some people remove the sacrificial anode, and replace with a brass plug. A powered anode does not support SRB, and protects the WH. I prefer the Ceranode, but that costs more if it is even still available. The stubby ones don't go all of the way down.

Does the anode rod truly extend the life of the water heater? Yes.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[John Gayewski]

Yes it extends the life of your heater. The minute your rod is gone your water heater will start to rot. With an anode it will rot in place of the heater. Get an anode that compliments your water and get a new filter guy. He just cares about not being called back which the anode probably causes, he doesn't understand what an anode does or was told by his boss to cut them out.

 

[Jadnashua]

The tank is never perfect. There's oxygen and other dissolved gasses in the potable water that keeps getting a fresh supply into the tank. The oxygen will find its way into any imperfections and cause the steel shell of the tank to start to rust. The sacrificial anode is a more reactive material than the steel in the tank so the gasses attack the anode rather than the tank. Once the anode is eaten up, that's when the gases start to attack the tank instead. Your well water may not have as much dissolved gas in it than the public water supply, but there will be some. And the water may have some other chemicals that can mess with things.

The anodes are made of various metals, because some of them, as noted, can react with gasses in the water and produce some stuff you don't want. For most people, the stock one works fine, though. Since they get eaten up over time, to extend the life of the tank, it's not a bad idea to replace it with a new one before it's gone, so you can extend the life of the tank.

 

[Sleepydogguy]

We ended up having them come back and replace the anode rod they cut out. They tried to charge us and are circling the wagons on insisting that the anode rod has no purpose and only creates problems in the tank like brown water and sulfur smell.

I guess I'll be here more often to learn about the best ways to maintain my water systems as they burned that bridge. I appreciate y'all's advice here. Hopefully this tank, under my own maintenance can last longer than the 6 years of the previous tank.

 

[TheOverThinker]

"Get an anode that compliments your water and get a new filter guy."

Absolutely sound advice.
Your filter guy has damaged your water heater, and bought you an expensive plumbing job in 2-8 years.

You have five basic choices with water heaters:
1) Aluminum anode
2) Magnesium anode
3) Titanium Powered anode (plug in)
4) Replace your water heater every 2-8 years
5) Buy a stainless steel or copper water heater that will last decades (e.g. pay up front, rather than "saving money" now).

If your hot water ACTAULLY has a SULFER smell (ask your neighbors for advice) THEN a #3 rod can fix it.

You can't buy a cheap tank water heater with a steel tank and operate it for long without an anode. The anode wears out roughly when the warranty does (e.g. a 5 year warranty, the anode lasts about 5 years).

Look to https://www.corroprotec.com/ or the superior AO smith product for smelly water problems with a powered plug in anode rod

 

[John Gayewski]

I love the idea that a water heater company puts something in their water heaters that does nothing. They spend the time and money and develope a manufacturing system to install anodes in their heaters even though they do nothing. It's a great idea.

 

[Jadnashua]

If you're a boater, take a look at any buoy you may get close to...it will have an anode on it as does any bridge that crosses water. Any metal hulled boat (should) have one, too. Sacrificial anodes are used because they work. The are called sacrificial because they get used up. Most people don't replace the ones in their WH, but if they did, they would last longer.

 

[TheOverThinker]

I love the idea that a water heater company puts something in their water heaters that does nothing. They spend the time and money and develope a manufacturing system to install anodes in their heaters even though they do nothing. It's a great idea.

That's misinformation. Not correct in any way shape or form.

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

That's misinformation. Not correct in any way shape or form.

Its also sarcasm... dripping with sarcasm

 

[TheOverThinker]

Its also sarcasm... dripping with sarcasm

So hard to tell these days, with firmly held beliefs on all sorts of subjects. The old convention was for sarcasm.