Hot Water Heater Maintenance

[jrref]

Has anyone changed the anode rod in their hot water heater after 5-7 years? The reason i ask is once a year i drain my hot water heater and expansion tank and change the expansion tank if needed. I know after time the anode rod will dissentrigate and need to be replaced. The problem is in most of the Villages Designer homes there is not enough height above the water heater to remove the old rod if a lot remains or to install the new rod. I know they make segmented rods to help with this issue but i'm interested to know if this is normal maintenance that most villagers have done by a plumber? I get a slight rotten egg smell when i turn on the hot water occasionally which i was told is from the magnesium anode rod in the heater. With a traditional gas hot water heater you probably change it every 8 to 10 years so most might not bother changing the anode rod but i have an electric heater which is supposed to last longer so changing the rod is probably beneficial to helping the heater last longer.

[retiredguy123]

The normal maintenance that most villagers do for the water heater is nothing. Many don't even know what an anode rod or expansion tank is, or how to drain the tank. And, some don't even know where the water heater is located.

[Malsua]

Has anyone changed the anode rod in their hot water heater after 5-7 years? The reason i ask is once a year i drain my hot water heater and expansion tank and change the expansion tank if needed. I know after time the anode rod will dissentrigate and need to be replaced. The problem is in most of the Villages Designer homes there is not enough height above the water heater to remove the old rod if a lot remains or to install the new rod. I know they make segmented rods to help with this issue but i'm interested to know if this is normal maintenance that most villagers have done by a plumber? I get a slight rotten egg smell when i turn on the hot water occasionally which i was told is from the magnesium anode rod in the heater. With a traditional gas hot water heater you probably change it every 8 to 10 years so most might not bother changing the anode rod but i have an electric heater which is supposed to last longer so changing the rod is probably beneficial to helping the heater last longer.

There are powered anodes that are made of Titanium that provide protection longer than any other option.

That said, most water heaters I've seen in TV are in the garage. Most sit in trays with drains that let water go right outside.

The biggest failure of these heaters are the elements which can be changed by anyone with an 1 1/4 socket. Plumbers show up and say "you've got an old heater" and people just replace them. "New, efficient and only $400 more than the repair of this old, stinky rusty heater".

I know corrosion is a problem with water heaters, but I suspect most get swapped out long before the bottom rusts through which is essentially all it's doing.

[MrFlorida]

Changed my HWH after 15 years, and the anode rod was like new....don't bother.

[kkingston57]

Lived in Florida 60+ years and have never "maintained" a hot water heater and never had a problem with a hot water heater. New heater cost $900 installed. Cost of doing this will far exceed potential savings to "maintain" the heater.

Noted living in Florida for 60 years because I do not know if this is performed in other areas of the country where water is different and I am not a plumber.

[DeanFL]

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been in our (new) house for 7 years. We had Mike Scott plumbing come out for some faucet issues. While the tech was here, I asked him about the water heater. Told him that I tried to drain the tank over the years, but not able to as the drain seemed blocked. I asked if I should poke something in to break up any mineral deposits etc etc. He strongly said "NO!" Do not touch anything, as that could disturb the lower area of the tank and cause failure. At this point better to not do a thing... Ours is in the garage storage area. He said WH typically last 10-15 years, so no worries. And we have a whole-home water filter, so less minerals etc going to the fill of our WH. That was all very comforting.
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[retiredguy123]

Opening the drain valve on a water heater can be risky because sediment may prevent the valve from closing off water tight. If you do drain the heater, make sure you have a threaded cap and washer available to stop the leak. I would suggest leaving the water heater alone until you need a new one. By the way, the Rheem manual doesn't even recommend draining the water heater.

[fdpaq0580]

While the smell could be in the water, it may also be eminating from the drain when you first turn the water on. Baking soda and white vinegar down the drain my b the simple solution to your problem.

[JerryP]

Has anyone changed the anode rod in their hot water heater after 5-7 years? The reason i ask is once a year i drain my hot water heater and expansion tank and change the expansion tank if needed. I know after time the anode rod will dissentrigate and need to be replaced. The problem is in most of the Villages Designer homes there is not enough height above the water heater to remove the old rod if a lot remains or to install the new rod. I know they make segmented rods to help with this issue but i'm interested to know if this is normal maintenance that most villagers have done by a plumber? I get a slight rotten egg smell when i turn on the hot water occasionally which i was told is from the magnesium anode rod in the heater. With a traditional gas hot water heater you probably change it every 8 to 10 years so most might not bother changing the anode rod but i have an electric heater which is supposed to last longer so changing the rod is probably beneficial to helping the heater last longer.

I thought the same, I replaced mine with a aluminum anode segmented rod. It did successfully eliminate the rotten egg smell. I used a a pair of vice grips on the rod, I pulled 2’ out attached the vice grips at the base and used a hack saw to cut then pulled the remaining out. By the way completely corroded (5 years old) Good luck trying to break it loose.

[Luggage]

What's a water heater?

[Luggage]

FYI my water heater has lasted the 11 years since I've bought my house and it was probably there for 9 years before that. Please don't jinx me

[frank1975]

I never heard any of this!!!

[ndf888]

I would not bother with it either. BUT- a failed WT can be very costly - don’t ask me how I know:) I would install a water sensor/alarm to avoid this problem. If you already have a Ring system, just buy a sensor for $35. It’s wireless and easy to install.

[Villages Kahuna]

Another option is to install a tankless water heater. They’re a little more expensive at the front end, but they last 15-20 years. I just replaced one in our home up north that lasted 21 years. Lower gas bills too.

[retiredguy123]

Another option is to install a tankless water heater. They’re a little more expensive at the front end, but they last 15-20 years. I just replaced one in our home up north that lasted 21 years. Lower gas bills too.
I understand that tankless water heaters actually do need maintenance. They need to be descaled every 1-2 years, or they will stop working. With a tank type water heater, you can leave it alone and it will provide hot water for 15 years or so.

[wlasowicz]

I flush/drain the tank once or twice a year when I'm down to my place > I do get some sediment . Yes you probably can replace rod but when you get a tank tank that's 5-7 years of age now your at the point of how much longer is it going to last especially if if it is used very much. At this your rolling the dice you could get a couple months more or 5 to 6 years out of it so you have to decide if it worth replacing the rod ( if you do it yourself you'll save money) or buy a new tank all together

[Albrita]

I did one in Colorado on a gas water heater. First you need a 1 1/16 half inch socket(not common) with a breaker bar. Then a 3 or 4 foot length of heavy pipe to leverage the breaker bar to break the rod loose. It's in a recessed covered area on the top by the in/out connections. I had to have help to stabilize the heater to break it loose. Mine was completely eaten up and I had basically a thick wire remaining. I did this at ten years so no idea when it was end of life. Then had to cut off new rod to drop into port on top as hit ceiling and it is a precise hole to insert. I DO NOT RECOMMEND. I have installed dozens of heaters and elements. If very hard water the first time you loose a lower element on electric, start saving up for a new water heater.

[FUSSY LADY]

Tankless is the best. We have had one for 11 years A/C company puts white vinegar through it once a year with no problems, they are the best and noticeably lower gas bill too!!

[BEETHOVENMIKEY]

While I agree that most people in TV never perform ANY kind of maintenance on their hot water heater, you are commended on drainage of the tank.
For the short time we've lived in TV, and family that have lived here since 1994, draining a tank and briefly flushing, a minimum of once a year, HWH should last 15 - 20 years, with no other service, other than replacing one or both heating elements on electric models, possibly every 10 years or so. Gas units are pretty much trouble free, other than cleaning.
Personally, while the water isn't real bad in TV (compared to what we had in OH and MD), I try to drain my HWH twice a year, clean the top, move things away
from the tank and do a lite sweeping with a duster to the gas controls and around the base.

[Calisport]

I have a tankless water heater. I had thought the hot water would be available almost immediately but the bathroom faucets on the end of the house take about 3 minutes to get warm. I've given up getting hot water there except for the shower. I guess most people have the same experience here?

[LTarter]

Has anyone changed the anode rod in their hot water heater after 5-7 years? The reason i ask is once a year i drain my hot water heater and expansion tank and change the expansion tank if needed. I know after time the anode rod will dissentrigate and need to be replaced. The problem is in most of the Villages Designer homes there is not enough height above the water heater to remove the old rod if a lot remains or to install the new rod. I know they make segmented rods to help with this issue but i'm interested to know if this is normal maintenance that most villagers have done by a plumber? I get a slight rotten egg smell when i turn on the hot water occasionally which i was told is from the magnesium anode rod in the heater. With a traditional gas hot water heater you probably change it every 8 to 10 years so most might not bother changing the anode rod but i have an electric heater which is supposed to last longer so changing the rod is probably beneficial to helping the heater last longer.

If you have a water softener, the anode rod should be removed. I failed to remove mine and the rod dissentrigated and all the particles stoped up the washer lines and faucet screens. The rod will only last about 2 or 3 years with a water softener and several plumbers have told me it is not required with a softener.

[retiredguy123]

I have a tankless water heater. I had thought the hot water would be available almost immediately but the bathroom faucets on the end of the house take about 3 minutes to get warm. I've given up getting hot water there except for the shower. I guess most people have the same experience here?
The water won't get hot until the unheated water sitting in the pipes flows through. One way to speed up the hot water to the shower is the turn on the hot water to the sink faucet and the shower at the same time. I have found that this reduces the wait time by more than half.

[EdFNJ]

I have a tankless water heater. I had thought the hot water would be available almost immediately but the bathroom faucets on the end of the house take about 3 minutes to get warm. I've given up getting hot water there except for the shower. I guess most people have the same experience here?
Had a tankless up north, same issue. Added a recirculation line from WH to the furthest bathroom (we had a crawl space so it was easy) and HW was virtually instant. Unfortunately we have electric here and no crawl sapce and have same issue. We did add a recirc pump here which helped immensely but has it's downsides. Yes, the recirc pump is unnecessary and just a $200 luxury but I just liked the convenience and from all the $$$ I saved over my lifetime not smoking or drinking I could afford it! (Pre-Answering the usual comments when people suggest a recirc pump on an electric WH :) ).

[jarodrig]

Many don't even know what an anode rod or expansion tank is,

Isn’t an anode similar to a gecko ??:1rotfl: