Anode rod replacement: Electric vs Standard

georgearoush · December 16

What do you guys think of https://amzn.to/48lfqH7 ? And how many years after installing a new water heater, should I wait before replacing the existing anode rod?

jesmed1 · December 16

I just installed a Corro-Protec powered anode rod last year, so it's still too early to say how well it's working.

@kcopp says he has installed several Corro-Protecs before with good success.

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/193165/powered-anode-recommendation-help?utm_source=community-search&utm_medium=organic-search&utm_term=powered+anode

We have a 75-gallon hot water tank serving a 4-unit condo building. The tank had dual anode rods installed originally. When I pulled the one user-accessible rod after 7 years, it was totally gone. At that point I started replacing the rods every year with segmented magnesium rods. Then I started checking the rod annually and found my magnesium replacement rods were gone after 1 year, because we use a lot of hot water. That's when I decided to switch to a powered rod.

So your anode rod can be gone in as little as 1 year if you use a lot of hot water. So if you've already decided to go with a powered rod, I'd replace the original rod after 1 year. Especially if you don't have dual rods to start with.

If you haven't replaced anode rods before, they can be devilish hard to get out. I highly recommend buying a cheap electric impact wrench like this one. It will bust the anode rod out in 10 seconds. Otherwise you need a 4-foot-long cheater bar on a 1/2" drive socket or breaker bar, and you risk twisting the entire water heater and bending pipe connections as a result.

https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/impact-wrenches/7-amp-12-in-impact-wrench-with-rocker-switch-61173.html

georgearoush · December 16

Thanks. I have an impact driver. A follow up question: after installing the electric rod, do you still need to flush out and drain the water heater once a year?

My water heater is for tenant use, serving 6 unites, thus water usage is high.

jesmed1 · December 16

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1827172#Comment_1827172

I wouldn't bother with an annual flush. You have high water usage causing near-continuous flushing, and the powered anode means you won't have sloughed-off consumable anode particles gathering in the tank. I would flush once when you install the Corro-Protec, since you will have turned the water off anyway, so you may as well.

I flushed our tank once. I don't remember when, and if it was before or after I installed the Corro-Protec. Either way, it was 7+ years after the tank had been installed. There was surprisingly little crap in the flush water, so I didn't bother flushing it after that.

ethicalpaul · December 16

I can agree with @jesmed1 completely. I just installed this same electric anode on my heat pump water heater. In my case it was 4 years after I installed it and there was a lot of the original anode material left, but I didn't care…I wanted to make sure I got it replaced before it was completely gone. Just cut it with a hacksaw or cutting wheel if you don't have ceiling clearance to remove it, but put a clamp on the rod under your cut so the bottom doesn't fall into the tank (although it probably wouldn't be the end of the world—it's in the tank anyway).

I had to make my own special trip to Harbor Freight for a corded impact driver. I got the bigger model but that one probably would have been fine. My DeWalt battery impact couldn't free it, and with my cheater bar I spun the heater slightly even though it was full of water…no damage though because I use Pex.

I did open my drain to lower the water level prior to this operation and almost zero sediment was released. I think in modern water heaters (at least with my Rheem heat pump one), they have designed the bottom of the tank to not collect sediment anymore—they make it get flushed out as hot water is used.

Ancient "burn a fire under it" technology might not quite be there yet.

jesmed1 · December 16

@ethicalpaul That's a lot of anode rod left after 4 years. You are obviously doing your part to save the planet by conserving hot water. 🙂

ethicalpaul · December 16

Yeah seemingly! It was down to the steel (?) core at the top and bottom but yes there was a lot of zinc left.

Larry Weingarten · December 16

Hi, My perspective on sediment is that it's affected by how hard the water is, how much water is used, and how much it's heated. It isn't much affected by sacrificial vs impressed current anode type, though aluminum rods do produce a lot of goo. Rheem uses a magnesium anode, but puts a resistor in the head of the rod to slow it down. This can work too well in clean, relatively unconductive water. 🤔
Yours, Larry

SuperTech · December 16

I think water quality is a bigger factor than how much water is being used when it comes to how long the anode rod lasts. I replace a lot of anode rods and in some areas they last a lot longer than others. Also the need to flush the tank depends on the water quality as well. Some of my customers on well water would have so much sand and sediment buildup after a year, if the tank wasn't flushed out annually the drain valve would become plugged up.

So I really don't think there is a "one size fits all" correct answer to the question. But I do feel like pretty much anyone with a tank style water heater will benefit from a powered anode, so it can't hurt to remove the sacrificial anode rod and install the powered anode.

SuperTech · December 16

@ethicalpaul out of curiosity where was the anode rod located on your heat pump water heater? Was it built into the hot water nipple?

ethicalpaul · December 16

no, it was in a dedicated port accessed from above the top area that houses the compressor

SuperTech · December 17

Thank you. I installed a heat pump water heater for a customer a year ago and I couldn't figure out where the anode rod was. Nothing in the manual shows where it was located. This one could be different from yours, but at least now I know where the first place I should look for it is.

Anode rod replacement: Electric vs Standard

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