Replacing your hot water heater annode rod

[rriverstone]

Well, my neighbor gave me a ride to a larger town/city yesterday, to buy supplies for my TT and get some food.

The RV store is actually helpful! i explained that, where i THOUGHT the anode rod should be, someone had put a tiny relief valve, kinda like on a swamp cooler, with a wing nut, over the hex bolt. She said, yes, people do that to drain the heater, but that's where the rod should be. She agreed with me that it's a pretty stupid idea, since it's better to pressure wash sediment out of the inside, rather than just hope some will find its way to that little opening.

Well, that wing nut is darn near rusted through, so I'd been afraid to mess with it too much. I know now I can beat the SNOT out of it, to get it out of my way, so I can access the anode rod hex with a rachet.

Problem now is timing. I can't take it out until the day I buy a new anode rod. I can't buy an anode rod ahead of time, because there's no model number on the heater. So, beat up the hex nut, remove anode rod, get ride to RV store, get new anode rod, replace.

And, of course, the RV store doesn't have a pressure nozzle for a garden hose, so somehow, I'll have to buy one of those elsewhere, probably online, but don't know how to narrow a search, since it's such a weird piece of equipment.

Mean time, I haven't had but 2 hot showers in the past year, both at neighbors' houses. So, all I want to do, now that I have a long snouted lighter I bought yesterday, is take a dang hot bath!

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[Forestgal]

This is what the oversized waterpik looks like. If you're an internet shopper you might be able to order the anode along with it -- or anything else you think you might need ...

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/water-heater-tank-rinser/49070

Laura

[rriverstone]

Well, heck! I didn't know Camping World had an online store! Silly me, I shoulda looked. Looks like it might be worth it to join their "club," as a discount to Good Sam would darn near pay for it.

Gawd, online shopping for camper junk? You r now my best friend! Thanks!

And that thing's CHEAP!

RV store wanted twenty bucks for an anode rod. I'm hearing prices like twelve, so I need to do this. I'd love to support more "ma & pa" businesses, and I would, if I were middle class. But, much as I hate to support "big box" chain stores, my survival's at stake right now. Guess I can't afford principles. LOL

[Bethers]

And, if your anode rod hasn't been replaced lately, you won't be able to tell what size it is when you take it out - it'll be corroded beyond belief. Maybe you'll be lucky enough to tell - but don't count on it. I just bought and got the right one lolol Good luck.

Oh, and while I like to support local businesses - I can only afford to do so when they can match the lower prices, too. Camping World is often higher than some of the other places - like Amazon - who, yes, will have lots of these items.http://www.amazon.com/Camco-11563-Alumi ... 577&sr=8-3

Because I can always find enough to get to the $25 for free shipping - it makes it worth my while to check them before I purchase.

[WickedLady]

The hex nut is part of the anode rod so you should be able to order a new one by the size of the nut. That way you would have the new one when you remove the old one.

[rriverstone]

It's getting worse, not better. The Amazon link, posted here, says the following:

"# Extends the life of a water heater by attracting corrosive elements in the water
# Aluminum anode rod
# 7.5 inch diameter 9.5 inches long"

Do they actually mean "7.5 mm diameter??" Because a seven INCH diameter would take up my whole water tank! LOL

Also, they only go by part numbers, not by size of the hex nut.

And, final question, are there a lot more than 2 sizes of these things?

I JUST WANT TO TAKE A BATH!!! It's been MONTHs!

I guess tomorrow, I'll try to fire it up with water in it and at least get a flippin bath, if she'll light, then worry with the rest later. It's too cold to fool with it today and I'm too sore from working too hard. But I'm so tired of feeling nasty. After several months, bird baths don't help. The skin on my back, arms and legs is miserable.

[Bethers]

Yes, the mean mm, not inches on that. I'm laughing here trying to picture that. And, look at the picture - you see it ends with that hex nut - so when you get it out, you get the whole thing out.

[bikerchic777]

Thanks for the advice, Laura! OK..I am learning a lot from you girls. Now I know what the anode is and that it is part of that bolt thing you take off. You are all talking about having a new one ready when you flush your tank. Someone recommended flushing out my hot water tank twice a year. Somehow I can't believe that I would have to replace that anode that often Can you not clean it off?

[Forestgal]

Beth, thanks for the reminder to check out Amazon. I forget that they can get almost anything. Maybe checking it out at a specialty store first then looking for it on Amazon would be helpful sometimes.

Barbie, cleaning out your hot water tank is often dependent on the hardness of your water. I'd only had my hybrid about 18 months with maybe 8 trips on it before I replaced mine. And it was totally gone. Don't know if an external water filter would help -- I'm thinking it would, as I had all sorts of sludge in my water lines after cleaning out the tank & had to take the little baskets off of my faucets, remove my showerhead, and clean them all out. I had an in-house filter and changed that, too. It was gross. The whole point of the anode is to capture minerals that accumulate in the tank so they don't get into your water lines. If you wait too long (like I apparently did) you can end up with too much sediment in the bottom of your tank.

S&B hot water tanks have them as well and people often don't think at all about keeping that tank clean, too. But if you hear your house tank making noises, chances are you've got gunk in the bottom of it that's getting stirred up when the tank fires up.

Laura -- and Jed

[rriverstone]

Well, see, now, it sorta cleans itself off, which is y u need to replace it! It attracts all the corrosive stuff in the water, so your tank won't corrode. This site has some great pictures of what happens to an anode rod. It ain't purdy. http://www.rvingoutpost.com/specs.php?prodnum=66&title=Anode%20Rod&iact=hc&vpx=639&vpy=68&dur=1334&hovh=208&hovw=243&tx=196&ty=63&ei=hwIUTfjuBYT68Aaq3pnWDQ&oei=hwIUTfjuBYT68Aaq3pnWDQ&esq=1&page=1&tbnh=129&tbnw=146&start=0&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0

[bikerchic777]

Wow! Guess what's going to the top of my "to do" list?

[rriverstone]

I've been searching water filter systems. I had what I think is a good idea for DIY water filter. Miracle Gro used to make a lawn sprayer that the sprinkle end unscrewed, and you could fit another hose to it, kinda like this: http://www99.epinions.com/review/Miracle_Gro_No_Clog_Feeder/content_437088718468?iact=hc&vpx=730&vpy=126&dur=284&hovh=120&hovw=141&tx=103&ty=30&ei=ShoUTZWRJ8L98AaI4ZDvDQ&oei=wRkUTdLmEYT58Absk9TdDQ&esq=16&page=1&tbnh=120&tbnw=141&start=0&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0

So, you put 2 hoses on a sprayer. Inside the bottle, you put activated charcoal (like for tropical fish filters) and cover it with kapok or synthetic pillow stuffing, to keep the charcoal from coming out. Water enters the bottle from one hose, gets filtered, goes through the other hose to the water heater.

I wouldn't use a used bottle though. yuck.

[rriverstone]

I've been searching water filter systems. I had what I think is a good idea for DIY water filter. Miracle Gro used to make a lawn sprayer that the sprinkle end unscrewed, and you could fit another hose to it, kinda like this: http://www99.epinions.com/review/Miracle_Gro_No_Clog_Feeder/content_437088718468?iact=hc&vpx=730&vpy=126&dur=284&hovh=120&hovw=141&tx=103&ty=30&ei=ShoUTZWRJ8L98AaI4ZDvDQ&oei=wRkUTdLmEYT58Absk9TdDQ&esq=16&page=1&tbnh=120&tbnw=141&start=0&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0

So, you put 2 hoses on a sprayer. Inside the bottle, you put activated charcoal (like for tropical fish filters) and cover it with kapok or synthetic pillow stuffing, to keep the charcoal from coming out. Water enters the bottle from one hose, gets filtered, goes through the other hose to the water heater.

I wouldn't use a used bottle though. yuck.

[retiredhappy]

Yes, yes, yes to a water filter for ALL water that goes into your rig. Hard water deposits can screw up more than the annode rod. Several years ago my toilet was not flushing well - not much water flow. When the repair man came he had to remove the toilet and on the water line there was a little screen that was totally gunked up with calcium deposits. Of course, in the wisdom of the people who built this RV the ONLY way to clean the screen is to remove the toilet. DUH!!!!

[WickedLady]

The anode rod only needs to be replaced when it gets "eaten" down to a certain size. That will depend on the water being used and might happen once a year. I check mine each fall when I drain the water heater.