| Author | Message | ||
| Dal Farnworth (Dallas)
Registered Member Username: Dallas Post Number: 492 Registered: 7-2004 Posted From: 75.91.201.171  Rating: N/A |
Just for fun, let's start a discussion on replacing the anode rod in your RV water heater. To start with, after many years of RV'ing, and especially servicing RV's, I've found that the little anode rod in the Atwood and Suburban water heaters doesn't last long, about 3 years and it's worthless. After that it's just a matter of time before the nasty stuff in your water starts the inevitable corrosion process which will lead to the demise of your water heater. In the past ten years of servicing RV's, I've replaced probably a couple dozen water heaters at the five year or less mark, almost everyone of them due to leakage from corrosion. In this day and age when prices keep going up and up, it seems prudent to me to replace the +/- $20 anode with a new one every two years or so. The alternative would be to replace a water heater that 5 years ago cost $160 and now costs close to $500. Comments? | ||
| marvin pack (Gomer)
Registered Member Username: Gomer Post Number: 1337 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 71.55.183.81  Rating: N/A |
In my tenure of full time work, We bought anode rods in 4ft lengths,and then we cut them to fit what was needed and installed them. Most of the time they were wedged in a 3/4 plug that was screwed in the side of the unit. It also did save them for several years too. Gomer | ||
| joe padberg (Joemc7ab)
Registered Member Username: Joemc7ab Post Number: 492 Registered: 6-2004 Posted From: 66.38.159.33 Rating: N/A |
Dalles Is the metal thicknes of the the tank noticeably thinner /lighter compared with those from say 20/30 years ago? Like most things in this day and age, cheaper and lighter is the mantra. Joe. | ||
| ED Hackenbruch (Shadowman)
Registered Member Username: Shadowman Post Number: 366 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 69.97.103.176 Rating: N/A |
I read somewhere that you should replace it at least once a year or even twice depending on where you are and what the water is like. With that said, i just finally got around to replacing mine this winter.......never done it before in the almost 8 years that we have had the coach, and we fulltime so we use the water all of the time. Our heater is gas only, i have heard the anodes also don't last as long if you have an electric heater. I was afraid that when i went to unscrew it that the tank threads would rip out and that i would have to buy a new tank. I used PB Blaster on it for about a week before i tried it. It came out ok but there was nothing left of it but maybe 1/2 inch of the core. I did have to scrape and flush the inside of the tank to get rid of the build up, but all is well, i have no leaks and will now make it a point to check it twice a year and replace yearly from now on. :>) | ||
| ED Hackenbruch (Shadowman)
Registered Member Username: Shadowman Post Number: 367 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 69.97.103.176 Rating: N/A |
Should also mention that i have no idea how old the tank is or when the PO last changed the rod before i bought the bus. | ||
| Dal Farnworth (Dallas)
Registered Member Username: Dallas Post Number: 493 Registered: 7-2004 Posted From: 75.91.201.171 Rating: N/A |
Joe, I don't know for a fact that they are thinner or lighter, but I removed one from my bus that was installed in 1968 that was still in pretty good shape. It weighed about twice what the newer aluminum tanks do. The reason for removing it was that it was right next to where a persons head would be when sleeping and that was about 12 feet from the galley. I never lit it to find out if it worked or not, but it was still holding water, unlike most of the rest of the system. | ||
| Bill Gerrie (Bill_gerrie)
Registered Member Username: Bill_gerrie Post Number: 489 Registered: 3-2006 Posted From: 216.198.139.38  Rating: N/A |
I guess I better consider myself lucky. My hot water heater is 25 years old and I very seldom need to replace the rod. It seems to last a very long time. Maybe it is the water we use. It mostly comes from our well. I have a 1985 Atwood heater. It is used on gas almost all the time. Bill | ||
| George Martinez (Foohorse)
Registered Member Username: Foohorse Post Number: 464 Registered: 1-2010 Posted From: 69.171.161.133  Rating: N/A |
thank you Dallas I will check mine tomorrow | ||
| John MC9 (John_mc9)
Registered Member Username: John_mc9 Post Number: 1198 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 74.162.95.135  Rating: N/A |
Bill - Re: "I guess I better consider myself lucky. My hot water heater is 25 years old and I very seldom need to replace the rod. It seems to last a very long time. Maybe it is the water we use. It mostly comes from our well. I have a 1985 Atwood heater. It is used on gas almost all the time." That last sentence is the reason why, Bill; No electrolysis with gas. | ||
| Dave Walker (Chrome_dome)
Registered Member Username: Chrome_dome Post Number: 256 Registered: 3-2010 Posted From: 75.208.141.43  Rating: N/A |
Ok so i check our atwood heater 10 gallon and has a plastic type plug. I unscrew it and there was no rod at all??? I washed it out with a water heater nozzle and no dirt or rusty metal came out and it works great. Maybe it is not suppose to have one.Don't know how old it is or how long it has been like this. Chromie | ||
| Brian Evans (Bevans6)
Registered Member Username: Bevans6 Post Number: 28 Registered: 5-2009 Posted From: 65.92.50.157 Rating: N/A |
Recent Atwood water heaters don't use an anode rod since their tanks are not metallic. It's been that way as long as I have been RV'ing, which ain't decades so I can't say when that happened. Suburban RV heaters definitely use an anode rod, I have two of them that I maintain. Mine gets changed every year, basically, it seems my well water kills them fast. Other thing that will kill them almost instantly is if you let any RV antifreeze get into them. The anode rod basically disintegrates and the next spring you have an awful mess to try to clean up. I use my heaters almost exclusively with gas and I still replace annually. Makes no difference to my result and I can't imagine why it would. The heat is applied externally to the tank with both gas and electric heat. Brian | ||
| Bill Gerrie (Bill_gerrie)
Registered Member Username: Bill_gerrie Post Number: 491 Registered: 3-2006 Posted From: 216.198.139.38 Rating: N/A |
John I never realized that using gas most of the time would save the heater. Now I am glad I did. Dave My Atwood is a 10 gallon heater and there is an anode in it. It is on the end where the water connections are near the top. Mine is 25 years old but I would think they are still the same. Bill | ||
| R.C.Bishop (Chuckllb)
Registered Member Username: Chuckllb Post Number: 1482 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 97.213.33.64  Rating: N/A |
Good to "hear" from you JTNG....how's it going? RCB | ||
| Dal Farnworth (Dallas)
Registered Member Username: Dallas Post Number: 495 Registered: 7-2004 Posted From: 75.91.201.171 Rating: N/A |
Brian, actually, they are metal, and are set up to be a failure. This is from the Atwood Water Heater Service manual: "The Atwood water heater tank is constructed of a core of high strength aluminum. The interior of the tank consists of a 15% thickness of type 7072 aluminum (pure aluminum and zinc) that is fused to the core during the rolling process. This material protects the tank from the affects of heavy metals and salts found in waters throughout the country. It is anodic to these heavy metals and acts much like an anode in a steel glass lined tank except it will last much longer. There is also no need to replace an anode on a yearly basis" They don't want you to replace an anode on a yearly basis because they want the water heater to fail. That may be why they only give a 2 year warranty for anything sold after 1997. | ||
| John MC9 (John_mc9)
Registered Member Username: John_mc9 Post Number: 1199 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 74.162.95.135 Rating: N/A |
Brian - The Atwood manual is here: http://direct.bryantrv.com/docs2/docs/atwoodwaterheater.pdf It describes where the heating element is. John | ||
| Dave Walker (Chrome_dome)
Registered Member Username: Chrome_dome Post Number: 260 Registered: 3-2010 Posted From: 75.210.89.59 Rating: N/A |
Thanks Dal for the info and it does say that the tank over time sacrifices itself a little at a time but can be flushed on a regular basis as a maintainance thing. It can also be filled with water and Vinegar to get the rotten egg smell out of the water. We don't have that but also good to know. I would imagine that the tank would eventually give up after losing the metal enough eh. Dave | ||
| Gus Causbie (Gusc)
Registered Member Username: Gusc Post Number: 1306 Registered: 11-2005 Posted From: 173.202.23.149  Rating: N/A |
If you ever use vinegar be sure not to leave it in too long. I did that once!! That goes for anything else too. | ||
| joe padberg (Joemc7ab)
Registered Member Username: Joemc7ab Post Number: 493 Registered: 6-2004 Posted From: 66.38.159.33 Rating: N/A |
Dalles I went scavenging here in the last few days. Ended up with two suburban water heaters, both essentially complete exept for the outside panel for one out of same aged wrecked motorhomes. one may be newer because it is encased in a styrofoam jacket and the other is encased in the traditional sheetmetal box. Both are digital spark ignition. One has an allmost new anode rod, but the give away is the "china" stamp on the outside of the bolt, so am sure it is a replacement. The other has the anode about half eaten up. The price I paid was fairly easy on the pocketbook. Joe. |