What happens when an anode rod goes bad?

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asked Feb 26, 2020 in Maintenance/Repairs by Zunzizesis98 (210 points)
What happens when an anode rod goes bad?

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answered Feb 26, 2020 by MrMoonPie (10,690 points)
The purpose of the anode rod in your water heater tank is a very important purpose and without an anode rod in the water heater the water heater would rust through much faster than it would if it had one.

Well water heaters do have anode rods and you should replace the anode rod at least every 5 years because the anode rod does eventually go bad.

When the water heaters anode rod goes bad then it cannot do it's job of protecting the water heater tank from rust and when that happens you will eventually get a leak in the water heater tank which can then flood your house.

So if your water heater tanks anode rod is 5 years old or older it would be a good idea to replace it.

Just shut the water off to the water heater and drain the water down and then use a wrench to remove the old anode rod and put a new one in.

You should be able to buy a new water heater anode rod online or even in hardware stores.

Keeping the anode rod in the water heater in good working order will help to extend the life of your water heater.

To extend the life of your water heater and prevent sediment buildup you should also drain your water heater and flush your water heater at least once per year.

So at the end of the year or at a set time in the year you should attach a hose to the water heater drain and then drain the water heater out.

Then allow the water that goes into the water heater cold side to flush the water heater out for around 30 minutes to help flush any sediment buildup out of the water heater tank.

Then close the water heater drain and turn the water heater back on.

Some people never flush out their water heater tank and it then leads to the water heater failing sooner.

Most hot water tanks or water heaters last for around 10 to years to 15 years before they start going bad and start leaking and need replaced.

Water heater tanks should be lined inside with either a rubber coating or a glass coating to keep the inside of the tank from rusting through directly from the water.

Still though eventually the tank can rust and leak after so many years of use and if you have a lot of chlorine or hard water the chlorine can be corrosive to the water heater and plumbing and the hard water is not good for the water heater tank either.

If you get 10 to 15 years out of the water heater then you're doing good but if you get 20 years or more you're lucky.

If your water heater is at least 10 years old or older you should budget for a new one eventually because it's just a matter of time that the water heater is gonna go bad and leak.

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