Magnesium anode rod

ChrisJ

A while back someone had mentioned possibly using an anode rod in a steam boiler.  I beleive it was within another thread but don't recall anyone really answering it.



If anode rods work so well in water heaters, why wouldn't one work in a cast iron steam boiler? 



With all of the problems everyone has with blocks rotting out is there any reason something like this isn't being used? 

gerry gill

I asked Burnham that very question

some years ago, and they said they had experimented with doing that and found the anodes didn't last long at all due to the high heat and the turmoil of the water during boiling. They said in just a few months they were completely gone and they were using anodes bigger than the standard anode. Same thing happens on a slower scale on a water heater with a recirc pump. The movement of the water has a factor in how fast the anode depletes.