From The Detroit News | By Ken Calverley and Chuck Breidenstein
DETROIT, Jan. 31, 2025 ~ Nearly every building has a water heater. While many are operated by resistance-type heating elements, the majority of them are gas fired. That sheet metal cylinder you see conceals thermal insulation and a water tank, likely made of steel.
For gas-fired units, the burner is below the bottom of the tank and the combustion exhaust runs straight up through the middle of the unit.
The metal flue or “chimney” you see extending up from the top of the unit is raised up about an inch on three legs to prevent back drafting from sucking out the pilot on the burner below and to expedite exhaust of the combustion gases.
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(CONTINUED) The average lifespan for a typical residential unit is eight to 12 years. Average professional replacement cost hovers around $3,500.
When you start to see water on the floor or pan at the base of the device, the tank inside has likely sprung a leak and needs to be replaced. That steel water tank is subject to corrosion for the same reason the steel hull of a ship begins to rust in seawater.
Maintaining and ensuring the proper functioning of a water heater is crucial for comfort but also for safety and energy efficiency. Contaminants in the water create an ion exchange such that the tank literally gives itself up and dissolves. We typically see this as rust.
To prevent this from occurring, or at least slow down the process, we install a sacrificial anode, an anode rod, in the tank, which will encourage that ion exchange between itself and the metals in the water. The rod is a steel core wire wrapped with zinc, or magnesium or aluminum, and will dissolve instead of the tank as this exchange takes place.
How quickly this occurs depends on the water quality, the number and type of contaminants in the water, the type of rod used, and the volume of water run through the device. Zinc rods are used most often in homes where the hot water seems to contain a rotten egg or sulfur odor.
In most cases, an owner will need to replace the rod one or more times during the life of the water heater. The average life expectancy for rods is three to five years.
Magnesium rods are the most common type used in residential water heaters. In homes with hard water, likely containing a lot of calcium and magnesium, these may corrode very quickly, but they will protect the tank.
Keep in mind, if the rod dissolves and is not replaced, the tank will begin to dissolve and leak. If a tank is already corroded, it is not recommended you install a magnesium rod as this may cause an electro-chemical reaction that creates hydrogen gas in the tank.
Aluminum rods tend to be the least expensive and longest lasting, but there may be a potential risk of poisoning the water supply with them. They are easily identified due to the flexibility of the rod.
This brings us to powered rods. This is the next advancement in anode rods because they produce the ions needed to protect the tank instead of sacrificing the rod.
They are an affordable and easily installed alternative that may well outlast the water heater. It is suggested they be installed by a professional, particularly due to the fact that removing an old rod may require experience to keep from damaging the tank.
The Guys also suggest using a good reverse osmosis water treatment filter for the entire building to remove contaminants before they even get to pipes or appliances.
If you have had an odor in the water and neither anode replacement nor installation of a new water filter seems to eliminate it, consider the notion that pipes may need to be professionally flushed and even some old water supplies under the sink could be the culprit.
As we frequently discuss, water quality in the home is a huge concern. We drink it, cook with it, and bathe in it, often without any thought given to what’s actually in the water.
Another real concern is the potential for damage to faucets, pipes and water-using appliances. One step we can all take is to make certain the water coming from the heating unit is clean and safe.
Do that by taking advantage of the trusted professionals you can find every day at InsideOutsideGuys.com.
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For more advice, listen to the Inside Outside Guys every Saturday and Sunday on AM760-WJR from 10 a.m.-noon or contact us at InsideOutsideGuys.com.
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