Get an anode rod made out of magnesium if possible. You shower, bath and drink the water that comes from the water heater, magnesium dissolved in your water is not bad for you, but aluminum dissolved in your water can possibly have neurological problems.
I don't think I'd want to drink the hot water because of the lead, fluoride, plastics, whatever else that's there. I did read about avoiding aluminum rods though. Ideally I guess a whole house filter is probably best to avoid absorbing toxins through the skin. And that could probably also prolong the life of the water heater and other appliances. Thanks for making the point.
Factory installed rods had always been magnesium. But, in some cases, if you have well water, an aluminum rod is used sometimes to eliminate the "rotten egg smell". But if you have good well water or your on city water, stick with the magnesium.
Right, it seems there are differing opinions about that from various professionals on TH-cam. I've watched some say that if you are changing the anode after a few years then you are better off not flushing since it may do more harm than good. Also I didn't see a lot of sediment coming out when I drained the two tanks a little. Perhaps it's also more important for electric heaters where the elements are immersed in the tank? The ones I did were gas. Thanks for the comment.
@@TVwatcher-ic3ne I was concerned about that too but was able to pull both of them out at an angle. In the worst case you may be able to bend or cut the bar if necessary. With the new ones that come in sections you don't need to worry about the height, but in my case I could probably have put in single piece bars.
But why? The supply is all copper. It seems that those were for use when you have dissimilar metals being used in a system. It also seems that dielectric unions have not been shown to be effective and have gone out of favor. Am I missing something?
I would take the last section of rod off. You might have a galvanic reaction where the rod touches the tank floor. It might eat a hole through the bottom of the tank.
Yea, wouldn't want that! Thanks for confirming my suspicions. I don't know how much of my vid you watched, but at the end I did take the rods out again and did what you said.
@@DIYWithJC Nah, everything in contact should be protected but I imagine the segmented anode doesn't last quite as long. I figure I'll do this again in 4~5 years.
Where are you located? What is the water like where you are at? Hard, soft, what common problems in your area does the water have? Didn't the instructions on the flexible anode rod say anything about whether to shorten it or not if it was in danger of touching the bottom?
I would guess hard water. I just changed a 14 year old anode rod at my mountain condo where the water is soft and frankly I needn't have bothered - it looked new. Down at my LA area home, where the water is hard, they look like the ones in the video after a few years. When I did my lady friend's 15 year old rod, there was literally nothing left.
I remember reading somewhere that you can cut the rod. I don't remember it giving reasons why. BTW, it's in NJ and probably the water is somewhere in the middle - neither hard nor soft.
Warranty are based on up grade in materials to extend the warranty from six to ten years that’s why the two anodes you can add another anode to both your heaters by disconnecting the hot water side of the heater and remove the galvanized nipple and get a anode rod that attaches to it Amazon carries them just get the that come in sections like the ones you installed earlier
Why would you spend $160 (not including the cost of power) vs $20 for something that does the same thing? As long as you change out the anode every 3 years you should be good.
Anode Rods constantly give us the odour of rotten eggs. The electric Anode has stopped this and there is no more sediment collecting on the bottom of the tank @@rak8095
After finally finding the motivation to do an anode change, I did one with the corro-protect replacement in a hybrid electric water heater last Sunday. Would you happen to have any opinion on these electric anode rods?
Yea, I think those are a great idea, especially if they really can extend the life of a water heater for say another decade. It also eliminates the need for multiple anode rod changes over the years. Seems like it's worth it, although what worries me is if the power supply goes bad and you didn't realize it. Then you would have no protection. It's probably a good idea to test it periodically.
@@DIYWithJC Yeah, that's my concern as well. I have a weekly reason to be in the same room as the water heater, and the wall wort for the unit has a bright green light to indicate a completed circuit with operating power. I'll check it on the list of chores.
Stainless steel is bad to ingest because it might leach Chrome-6 into hot water. If a steel cable rusts, iron is ok to ingest in small amounts. I would think the amount would be parts per million which would be safe. The stainless steel......I'm not sure. Can anyone answer that question? But I do know that Chromium-6 is a carcinogen.
That's interesting. Through a little browsing it seems that 300 series stainless is used as "food grade" stainless. I think similar steel is used for cables too. Those materials (I think it said) have 18% chromium. Like you said about iron, perhaps there will only be trace amounts of Cr when using stainless steel that actually leaches into the water. I guess you have to pick your poison!
Thank you. Appreciate the offer, and yes I have seen your powered anode rods. It seems you have a nice product that makes sense considering the cost of water heater installation. I don't really have the time right now, unless perhaps you could send two - one for each boiler. Then it may be worthwhile to invest time to make another installation video.
@corro-protec Would you recommend using one of your electric rods for a water heater that’s near the end of its life? Ours is about 15 years old and I need to change the rod as we’re noticing the smell, but I don’t want to waste an expensive electric one on a water heater that might not last very long.
@@NevrNewd Since your water heater is over 15 years old, I recommend replacing it and installing our product in a new tank for the best results. If you prefer to install it in your current tank, you can still remove and reuse the same Corro-Protec anode when you upgrade to a new tank. 😊
Ok I get it. There's something satisfying about doing it the old way right?! I just have this impact wrench that I got in exchange for a review and it was the second time I've had chance to use it.
@@chazits I saw another TH-cam where someone had something covering the rod and they just hacked away at it. You're sure it's the rod right? How about a small chisel, or drill multiple holes to get down to the plug? Just stay away from any epoxy dust and the fumes if the epoxy gets heated up. Perhaps a vacuum with a HEPA filter would help with that. That's just my thoughts. Good luck!
I haven't had experience with more powerful wrenches but I thought it did a good job once it was turned on high. But I don't doubt that you've used much better and more expensive tools.
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Get an anode rod made out of magnesium if possible. You shower, bath and drink the water that comes from the water heater, magnesium dissolved in your water is not bad for you, but aluminum dissolved in your water can possibly have neurological problems.
I don't think I'd want to drink the hot water because of the lead, fluoride, plastics, whatever else that's there. I did read about avoiding aluminum rods though. Ideally I guess a whole house filter is probably best to avoid absorbing toxins through the skin. And that could probably also prolong the life of the water heater and other appliances. Thanks for making the point.
Drinking water doesn’t come from the hot water tank unless you like blazing hot tap water..
@@DK-pr9ny I guess you have never heard of WARM water or anything else between cold and BLAZING HOT. Next.
@@EC-mc7vg Would be a fool to drink water from a hot water tank. Heat it up in the microwave or stove.
Factory installed rods had always been magnesium. But, in some cases, if you have well water, an aluminum rod is used sometimes to eliminate the "rotten egg smell". But if you have good well water or your on city water, stick with the magnesium.
Dude you’re a Jack of all trades. 👍🏽
That's something I was warned not to become, but look what happened!
@@DIYWithJC "Jack of all trades, master of none. Still better than master of one" is how the saying goes:)
Probably would have been a good idea to flush the water heater from potential sediment while you were replacing the anode.
Right, it seems there are differing opinions about that from various professionals on TH-cam. I've watched some say that if you are changing the anode after a few years then you are better off not flushing since it may do more harm than good. Also I didn't see a lot of sediment coming out when I drained the two tanks a little. Perhaps it's also more important for electric heaters where the elements are immersed in the tank? The ones I did were gas. Thanks for the comment.
@@DIYWithJCflushing out the debris yearly is important to prevent 'bumping' from cavitation and maintaining proper heat transfer from the burner.
You should have got a Original Rheem Anode Rod , I just ordered a original Rudd Rod for my Water Heater and it was only $15.88 shipped .
Well, this was the first time I ever did this and ordering on Amazon was easy. Next time I may try the OEM part. Thanks for the suggestion.
The original doesn’t bend does it? Mine’s installed with limited clearance above is why i ask. Planning to do this soon.
@@TVwatcher-ic3ne I was concerned about that too but was able to pull both of them out at an angle. In the worst case you may be able to bend or cut the bar if necessary. With the new ones that come in sections you don't need to worry about the height, but in my case I could probably have put in single piece bars.
Great idea buying from OEM Mfg., if ceiling does not allow installation of the whole thing, trim it. Without a hammer drill it won’t come out.
Handy Andy.... You might want to install dielectric unions to prolong the heaters life
But why? The supply is all copper. It seems that those were for use when you have dissimilar metals being used in a system. It also seems that dielectric unions have not been shown to be effective and have gone out of favor. Am I missing something?
Hold the Teflon tape roll the other way around when wrapping threads.. DoH 🤔
What does that do?
@@DIYWithJC makes it easier to apply when winding around. Try it.
@@WApnj Thanks!...will do.
The anode material will prevent the steel cable from corroding as long as you change it before all the anode is gone.
Thanks - good to know!
I would take the last section of rod off. You might have a galvanic reaction where the rod touches the tank floor. It might eat a hole through the bottom of the tank.
Yea, wouldn't want that! Thanks for confirming my suspicions. I don't know how much of my vid you watched, but at the end I did take the rods out again and did what you said.
If they were touching the corrosion would occur in the anode, not in the tank
The cable shouldn't rust as long as the anode is good.
Makes me wonder though, if the anode is protecting itself wouldn't that take away from protecting the tank?
@@DIYWithJC Nah, everything in contact should be protected but I imagine the segmented anode doesn't last quite as long. I figure I'll do this again in 4~5 years.
Where are you located? What is the water like where you are at? Hard, soft, what common problems in your area does the water have? Didn't the instructions on the flexible anode rod say anything about whether to shorten it or not if it was in danger of touching the bottom?
I would guess hard water. I just changed a 14 year old anode rod at my mountain condo where the water is soft and frankly I needn't have bothered - it looked new. Down at my LA area home, where the water is hard, they look like the ones in the video after a few years. When I did my lady friend's 15 year old rod, there was literally nothing left.
I remember reading somewhere that you can cut the rod. I don't remember it giving reasons why. BTW, it's in NJ and probably the water is somewhere in the middle - neither hard nor soft.
Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
This has to be a parody lol. Thanks for sharing ^^
...it's kind of a reality show version...
thanks for sharing
My pleasure
Thank you.
Welcome!
Neat plan
It’s possible that there are two anode rods in the last water heater
Don't see another one. The top of both heaters is identical. I believe the main difference is the warranty period.
Warranty are based on up grade in materials to extend the warranty from six to ten years that’s why the two anodes you can add another anode to both your heaters by disconnecting the hot water side of the heater and remove the galvanized nipple and get a anode rod that attaches to it Amazon carries them just get the that come in sections like the ones you installed earlier
Good video
Thanks!
I use an electric anode, called Corro-Protec
Great idea, although it seems you still need to monitor the power supply to make sure it's functioning correctly.
Why would you spend $160 (not including the cost of power) vs $20 for something that does the same thing? As long as you change out the anode every 3 years you should be good.
Anode Rods constantly give us the odour of rotten eggs. The electric Anode has stopped this and there is no more sediment collecting on the bottom of the tank @@rak8095
After finally finding the motivation to do an anode change, I did one with the corro-protect replacement in a hybrid electric water heater last Sunday. Would you happen to have any opinion on these electric anode rods?
Yea, I think those are a great idea, especially if they really can extend the life of a water heater for say another decade. It also eliminates the need for multiple anode rod changes over the years. Seems like it's worth it, although what worries me is if the power supply goes bad and you didn't realize it. Then you would have no protection. It's probably a good idea to test it periodically.
@@DIYWithJC Yeah, that's my concern as well. I have a weekly reason to be in the same room as the water heater, and the wall wort for the unit has a bright green light to indicate a completed circuit with operating power. I'll check it on the list of chores.
Those straight through type of drain valves are terrible. Need to put a swivel joint on before the hose. A quick connect set can also be rotated.
Yeah I may just drain into a pan next time.
Stainless steel is bad to ingest because it might leach Chrome-6 into hot water. If a steel cable rusts, iron is ok to ingest in small amounts. I would think the amount would be parts per million which would be safe. The stainless steel......I'm not sure. Can anyone answer that question? But I do know that Chromium-6 is a carcinogen.
That's interesting. Through a little browsing it seems that 300 series stainless is used as "food grade" stainless. I think similar steel is used for cables too. Those materials (I think it said) have 18% chromium. Like you said about iron, perhaps there will only be trace amounts of Cr when using stainless steel that actually leaches into the water. I guess you have to pick your poison!
I think he may have wrapped the tape the wrong direction.
Ya think, but are you sure!?
Put in a powered anode and you won't have to do it again
Thanks for the suggestion. Will consider that next time.
Great video, JC! Have you ever tried a powered anode rod? Shoot us an email, and we’ll gladly send one your way for you to try!
Thank you. Appreciate the offer, and yes I have seen your powered anode rods. It seems you have a nice product that makes sense considering the cost of water heater installation. I don't really have the time right now, unless perhaps you could send two - one for each boiler. Then it may be worthwhile to invest time to make another installation video.
@corro-protec Would you recommend using one of your electric rods for a water heater that’s near the end of its life? Ours is about 15 years old and I need to change the rod as we’re noticing the smell, but I don’t want to waste an expensive electric one on a water heater that might not last very long.
@@NevrNewd Since your water heater is over 15 years old, I recommend replacing it and installing our product in a new tank for the best results. If you prefer to install it in your current tank, you can still remove and reuse the same Corro-Protec anode when you upgrade to a new tank. 😊
I prefer to break that initial friction by hand, with a long wrench bar than an impact. Impact would be my last resort
Ok I get it. There's something satisfying about doing it the old way right?! I just have this impact wrench that I got in exchange for a review and it was the second time I've had chance to use it.
Any ideas how to remove the rod the manufacturer epoxies in?
@@chazits I saw another TH-cam where someone had something covering the rod and they just hacked away at it. You're sure it's the rod right? How about a small chisel, or drill multiple holes to get down to the plug? Just stay away from any epoxy dust and the fumes if the epoxy gets heated up. Perhaps a vacuum with a HEPA filter would help with that. That's just my thoughts. Good luck!
@@DIYWithJC it's the anode rod, I can get a socket on it , but the epoxy is below the nut.
I'll try digging it out as you suggest .
That was certainly a piece of junk Chinese impact wrench
I haven't had experience with more powerful wrenches but I thought it did a good job once it was turned on high. But I don't doubt that you've used much better and more expensive tools.