Quick fix

You can't get the old anode out, but you want your tank to last.

Just put a combo hot-water outlet/anode rod in on the hot side. If you don't know how, have a plumber do it, but make sure he uses pipe thread seal tape and a flex connector so you can monitor the deterioration of the anode yourself in the future.

Regular anodes are about 44 inches long, so you need that much overhead clearance unless you want to try your luck at bending the anode and straightening it, as described in Know-how. Flexible anodes can be used down to 12 inches clearance.

Back to top

Caveat

When you go to buy a new tank, or retrofit an old one, avoid aluminum anode rods! Many tanks come with them installed. Aluminum is a poison! It has been linked to Alzheimer's disease. And tests by a water company in California showed that an aluminum rod releases twice the allowable amount of metal into the water. Besides, being less reactive, aluminum rods don't protect the tank as well as magnesium. They also create vastly more corrosion byproduct, much of which adds to the sediment layer on the tank bottom. It also occasionally flows through the pipes to clog aerators.

You can sometimes differentiate magnesium from aluminum by the top of the hex head. Usually, aluminum rods have a flat head; magnesium ones have a little bump on top. An exception is Rheem and its sub-brands -- Ruud, Richmond and General Electric. Rheem uses a magnesium anode that doesn't have a bump.

We never install aluminum rods, and only favor them in smelly water situations, since the alternatives are prohibitively expensive. You should do the same.

Back to top

Quick fix Your water smells like rotten eggs and discolors your laundry. Shut off the cold water valve (see Know-how), drain some water from the tank, open one of the nipples, and dump in a few pints of hydrogen peroxide. Close everything up and let some water run from all spigots and taps. The smell is caused by anaerobic bacteria. The peroxide adds oxygen to the water, killing them. Running the water gets the peroxide into your pipes and kills the bacteria there.

Complete fixes

The peroxide will kill the bacteria for the time being, but more is coming in all the time and the next time you leave for a few days, the problem will return.

One solution is to replace the magnesium or aluminum anode -- which reacts with the bacteria to make the stinky hydrogen sulfide gas -- with a zinc/aluminum alloy rod. In many cases, this will eliminate the odor.

There are two other potential solutions here. One is Rheem's Marathon electric heater, which is plastic-lined and has no anode. The other is an instantaneous heater. We're not overly fond of the latter, because they're expensive and can be finicky, but this is one place where they might be a solution.

Back to top

Caveat

We have been encountering claims for magnetic water treatment systems that claim to fix everything: sediment buildup, water spotting, pipe damage, corrosion.

We would be delighted to publicize such a complete solution -- if it were true.

However, so far, all the literature we have seen on this subject has been hype and testimonials. On the other hand, all the scientific evidence, that we have seen -- that is, studies conducted using scientific methodology -- indicate that magnetic systems do nothing at all.

There is also a short article, written in layman's terms, in the February 1996 of Consumer's Reports. Their testers found no apparent difference between a tank treated with magnets and an ordinary one.

Back to top

Quick fix

If you have low water pressure or think there's a heavy buildup of sediment: consider the pressure flush.

The preconditions: cold water turned off, control set to pilot, ball valve and curved dip tube installed. Now, open the valve and let the tank drain all the way down. This gives it a chance to fill with air. Close the ball valve. Open the cold-water valve until you can no longer hear water flowing.

Now what you have is a tank about two-thirds full of water, with that air compressed down to about one-third its original volume. When you open the ball valve to flush, it will flush at full force until the last of the compressed air is gone.

Back to top

Caveat

Be aware of possible gas leaks. SNIFF. If you smell gas, get a bottle of Windex and spray suspected spots. Bubbles will form where gas is leaking.

Back to top

Tip

When you inspect a tank, inspect all around the tank. Water dripping onto it can rust a tank from the outside in, nearly as fast as from the inside out. Equally important: If water is coming from somewhere, make sure it's really from the water heater before you rush out headlong to replace it. Possible culprits: drippy drain valves and temperature/pressure relief valves, rain down vents, even broken water pipes.

Back to top

Tip

If you find sand in your bathtub, the problem may lie with a recirc line. Sediment can drift into the line where it re-enters the tank and be sucked backward along it when hot water is drawn.

Back to top

Tip

If the hot water runs out too soon, consider two things: the shower head and the dip tube. If it's not a low-flow shower head, it may simply use up all the hot water in the tank in short order. The other possibility is a broken dip tube. Remember, its purpose is to keep the cold coming in separate from the hot already there. It's made of plastic. If it breaks, hot and cold will mix at the top.

More than a decade ago, Perfection Corp., which makes most of the dip tubes used by American water heater manufacturers, changed its formula for plastic.

Sometime after, the new dip tubes began disintegrating under certain conditions, compromising the function of the water heater and in some cases, clogging appliances and aerators with bits of plastic. Perfection changed its formula back in March 1996.

Eventually, there was a class-action suit against Perfection and several water heater manufacturers and a settlement. Unfortunately, there was a deadline for filing claims, which expired on Dec. 31, 2000. If you discover that a disintegrated dip tube is your problem, it is also your problem to deal with it.

Anyway, if this is the problem, aside from the hot water running out quickly, look for bits of material in the aerators of your faucets. That's another sign of a disintegrating dip tube.

Back to top

Tip

Many factors bear on water heater life. In general, the cleaner the water, the longer the tank lasts. In our area, there are two water districts. One draws from a river in the Sierra Nevada. The other draws from the Sacramento River, which is a giant agricultural drain. Not only is there more stuff in the Sacramento water; the water company has to add more stuff to it to make it drinkable. In that one, tanks last 6-10 years. In the district with clean water, they last from 12-30 years or more. Other factors: quality of the tank itself and how many people are using it.

Back to top

Caveat

Somewhere on all tanks is a temperature/pressure relief valve. Most people like to leave them alone because sometimes, once opened, they leak a little. That's a mistake. They should be checked once a year, which involves opening the handle to see if water will come out.

The reason it's important is because under certain circumstances, which admittedly are rare, a tank can explode if the valve fails. And it will explode with the power of two pounds of dynamite. Usually there is piping connected to the valve to direct the water down and away. Because the valve does have to be replaced occasionally, it's best that flex line be used for this. But check that valve!

Back to top