|
Posted by Don Young on February 13, 2007, 10:11 pm
> 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
Rust or other sediment generally shows up in the water because something in
the water supply has been disturbed. Sometimes just a loss of pressure will
cause it when the water comes back on. If the water company flushes the fire
hydrants, you can get rust for a while afterward. It nearly always clears by
itself after a day or so.
It may take a 6 point socket and a lot of torque to loosen the anode. There
is some possibility that something else will give way before it loosens so
it may not be worthwhile on a heater that old. I would just flush the heater
good and wait for it to clear up.
Don Young
| 
Yahoo! 
Google 
Windows Live 
del.icio.us 
digg 
Netscape 
XML Sitemap