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Warning: Ignoring your water heater anode rod for 5 years
Pulled mine out yesterday and it was just a rusty wire nub. The tank started leaking 2 days later and cost me $800 for a new install. Check yours before it's too late, has anyone else dealt with a rusty rod?
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patriciap5212h ago
My buddy Mark let his go for 8 years, no joke. Pulled it out and it was basically a toothpick with some rust flakes on it. Two weeks later the whole tank let go in his basement, flooded the place. Cost him way more than $800 by the time he was done. I think some people get lucky with good water, but most of us don't have that kind of luck.
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jennifer9653d ago
Oh boy, I have to disagree with you here. I've had the same water heater for going on 12 years and never once touched the anode rod. I just checked it for the first time last week and it still had plenty of material left on it, not even half gone. My plumber told me these things are overblown and that most people cause more damage by messing with them than just leaving them alone. Water quality matters a lot more than the rod itself, and if your water is already decent, the rod does its job for way longer than five years. I think your leak was probably a fluke or maybe from something else like a bad valve or install, not the rod. Not saying nobody should ever check theirs, but this panic about the rod being some ticking time bomb is a bit much in my book.
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