5 ms·

Water heaters; supposedly, if you replace the anode rods every 5 years, most water heaters would last the lifetime of the house, versus many replace the whole u

Water heaters; supposedly, if you replace the anode rods every 5 years, most water heaters would last the lifetime of the house, versus many replace the whole unit in 10 years.

voisin 4y ago
Is that a relatively easy project for an average homeowner?
- DaveJorg 4y ago
  Yes, fairly straight forward with normal tools: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pxODVsgHRfc https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pxODVsgHRfc
- NotYourLawyer 4y ago
  I’ve done it. It’s not a big job, but the issues I ran into were: 1. You need a specific and large socket wrench. (A big adjustable wrench wouldn’t work because the head was recessed.) 2. Mine was really stuck in there, so it took a lot of torque to get it loose. Had to get someone else to hold the water heater in place while I pulled on the wrench. 3. My water heater was up in the attic underneath the angled roof, and there wasn’t enough clearance to get the new one in. Got kind of sketchy tilting the water heater over so I could get it inserted.
  - matwood 4y ago
    > 3. My water heater was up in the attic underneath the angled roof, and there wasn’t enough clearance to get the new one in. Got kind of sketchy tilting the water heater over so I could get it inserted. I'm starting to think this is the real reason I pay people to fix things for me (if I don't do it myself). YouTube makes most fixable things pretty easy. It's the climbing over/under the house, getting in hard to reach places, etc... that makes a repair a pain.
  - briHass 4y ago
    All that, plus you have to have a water heater that has replaceable rods (some today are not replaceable.) Some other brands also combine the rod with the water inlet, which means you need to do basic plumbing to disconnect the water supply piping before removing it. The claims of extending the life of the heater indefinitely are dubious. There are also 2 heating elements that can burn out and 2 mechanical thermostats that can fail. Cheap parts, but the heating elements can become fused into the body of the heater from rust/corrosion. In my opinion, tank water heaters are one of those things where tank failure can lead to catastrophic damage: you have 40+ gallons of water that can dump out, and then full water pressure behind it. You have no way of identifying the condition of the tank from the outside; it could fail suddenly. Basic electric models aren't particularly expensive, either (~$600.) It's generally accepted that 15 years of life is a good run. It's not worth the risk/expense of a leaking tank to squeeze another few years out, especially if it's in an area where even a small leak could cost thousands in damage.
    - smileysteve 4y ago
      The more often you replace them - or at least inspect them, the less likely they are to fuse.
  - sokoloff 4y ago
    For 3, they make segmented rods designed to make getting the new one in easier. (The old bends easily if the magnesium has been consumed.)
- smileysteve 4y ago
  Yes, the hardest part being to drain your water heater (which is on the annual maintenance schedule)
reaperducer 4y ago
most water heaters would last the lifetime of the house The lifetime of a house is measured in centuries. Perhaps you mean the lifetime of the person who installed the water heater?
- smileysteve 4y ago
  Rarely for American wood built houses. 90% of houses will have major renovation in 30-50 years. Perhaps a better measure is the life of the plumbing system, where pvc, copper have 30-50 year life expectations.

Water heaters; supposedly, if you replace the anode rods every 5 years, most water heaters would last the lifetime of the house, versus many replace the whole unit in 10 years.

voisin 4y ago

Is that a relatively easy project for an average homeowner?

DaveJorg 4y ago
Yes, fairly straight forward with normal tools: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pxODVsgHRfc https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pxODVsgHRfc
NotYourLawyer 4y ago
I’ve done it. It’s not a big job, but the issues I ran into were: 1. You need a specific and large socket wrench. (A big adjustable wrench wouldn’t work because the head was recessed.) 2. Mine was really stuck in there, so it took a lot of torque to get it loose. Had to get someone else to hold the water heater in place while I pulled on the wrench. 3. My water heater was up in the attic underneath the angled roof, and there wasn’t enough clearance to get the new one in. Got kind of sketchy tilting the water heater over so I could get it inserted.
- matwood 4y ago
  > 3. My water heater was up in the attic underneath the angled roof, and there wasn’t enough clearance to get the new one in. Got kind of sketchy tilting the water heater over so I could get it inserted. I'm starting to think this is the real reason I pay people to fix things for me (if I don't do it myself). YouTube makes most fixable things pretty easy. It's the climbing over/under the house, getting in hard to reach places, etc... that makes a repair a pain.
- briHass 4y ago
  All that, plus you have to have a water heater that has replaceable rods (some today are not replaceable.) Some other brands also combine the rod with the water inlet, which means you need to do basic plumbing to disconnect the water supply piping before removing it. The claims of extending the life of the heater indefinitely are dubious. There are also 2 heating elements that can burn out and 2 mechanical thermostats that can fail. Cheap parts, but the heating elements can become fused into the body of the heater from rust/corrosion. In my opinion, tank water heaters are one of those things where tank failure can lead to catastrophic damage: you have 40+ gallons of water that can dump out, and then full water pressure behind it. You have no way of identifying the condition of the tank from the outside; it could fail suddenly. Basic electric models aren't particularly expensive, either (~$600.) It's generally accepted that 15 years of life is a good run. It's not worth the risk/expense of a leaking tank to squeeze another few years out, especially if it's in an area where even a small leak could cost thousands in damage.
  - smileysteve 4y ago
    The more often you replace them - or at least inspect them, the less likely they are to fuse.
- sokoloff 4y ago
  For 3, they make segmented rods designed to make getting the new one in easier. (The old bends easily if the magnesium has been consumed.)
smileysteve 4y ago
Yes, the hardest part being to drain your water heater (which is on the annual maintenance schedule)

reaperducer 4y ago

most water heaters would last the lifetime of the house The lifetime of a house is measured in centuries. Perhaps you mean the lifetime of the person who installed the water heater?

smileysteve 4y ago
Rarely for American wood built houses. 90% of houses will have major renovation in 30-50 years. Perhaps a better measure is the life of the plumbing system, where pvc, copper have 30-50 year life expectations.