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Posted by Art Todesco on February 13, 2007, 3:08 pm
George wrote:
> On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 14:20:15 -0500, "Zephyr" <Someguy@an email
> address.com> wrote:
>
>>> (7-yr old 40-gal gas heater)
>>>
>>> Our hot water got suddenly very 'rusty' two days ago. Cold water is
>>> clear. I flushed the tank several times, and it still comes out dirty.
>>> The company says to replace the anode rod. The question is, how?
>>>
>>> It's threaded into the top of the tank. I've soaked around the head
>>> with PB Blaster, but I doubt that's getting to the threads. Right now,
>>> I'm using a 1/2" breaker bar with an extension pipe, and getting
>>> nothing. I'm reluctant to use heat (acetylene), because, while the
>>> insulation doesn't sustain combustion, it does sort of burn a little.
>>>
>>> Any experience/suggestions would be appreciated. In particular, would
>>> it be OK to use heat?
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> George
>> Can't really comment on the heat / no heat option sorry, but, here are my 2
>> cents on the whole scenario
>>
>> I don't know how much torque you are putting on the heater, but I found that
>> having someone there to help hold the heater in place when trying to break
>> the threads free was a wise idea. You could rip the heater right off its
>> moorings if you tried hard enough.
>
> I threaded a piece of 3/4" black pipe into the T&P outlet, and use that
> to brace against.
>
>> all that a side, I don't see how replacing the anode is going to fix your
>> rust problem. The anode is there to prevent rust, the rod itself ( with
>> the exception of a wire down the inside of the anode material) doesn't
>> really rust but more just disintegrates. If you have rust in the heater, a
>> new anode may slow down the development of more rust, but, you still have
>> rust there. And if you have rust in the tank, that means that some part of
>> the tank is no longer as strong as it once was.
>
> There's a lot I don't know about this. It's odd that the rust (if
> that's what it is) showed up so abruptly. The mfr's warranty support
> insists that the rod will fix it. The rod is only $20; so, other than
> the difficulty of getting it out, I'm willing to try.
>
> I'm now considering taking the top of the shell off. That would let me
> pull the insulation out of the way, and then I could go with the torch.
>
> G
Ya, don't believe the manufacturer. On
mine they said, the reason for large
swings in temperature was sediment and
that I must put vinegar in the tank,
let it sit and then flush it out.
Didn't work, no how. About the only
thing is
that for about 2 weeks, when showering,
we had a hankering for salad, until
it all flushed clean. On my new tank, I
had a leak at the anode rod. This was
brand new, right out of the box. As I
didn't want to un-install it and return it,
I tried to tighten it. I got one of
those sockets from the plumbing department
where you put a large screwdriver or rod
through it, for leverage. I bent the
screwdriver and a rod. I finally put 2
pipe wrenches on the socket, and with
2 people, one on each wrench, we were
able to loosen it. Put Teflon tape
on the threads and torqued it down. I
know it's making contact, as I checked
with an ohmmeter. But, we got the leak
stopped.
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