Anode rod almost gone

[Deb Mac]

I am going to attempt to pull my anode rod this afternoon. A new to me '08 this year. I'm pretty sure that based on a lot of other little maintenance items that I discovered not performed by the PO, that it is probably the original and in sorry shape.

Another thing that is leading me to believe that it likely needs to come out is the fact that when I flush my toilet, with no water on (to get some pink stuff into the bottom of my Poor man's Sealand to keep the black tank from drying out, or to check the level in the tank) there is grit that comes out the water outlet. I thought maybe I had dirt in my fresh tank. But it was only in the toilet. Brand new toilet. Was driving me crazy until I thought more about the plumbing in the TM.

The water flow goes from the fresh tank and then out to both the cold and hot (via the water heater). But if there is no pressure in the cold lines after I have opened the flush valve with no water pump on, and I haven't drained the water heater yet, what I'm getting is back flow from the BOTTOM of the water heater due to hydrostatic pressure. So I'm pretty sure there is a significant amount of sediment in the bottom of that heater tank and that is the source of the grit into the toilet.

Fortunately I already have a 1-1/16" socket from a previous application, a small ball peen hammer for some "tap-tap"ing, and a breaker bar, and some PB Blaster (if I need it). The nut on the end of the rod looks pretty corroded so the whole thing may crumble when I try to remove it. Or it could be cemented in there so badly I may need to drill it out.

Going to take pictures for posterity.

[Deb Mac]

Went much better than I expected. Based on the amount of rust on the nut, I pre-emptively gave it a couple of squirts with PB Blaster and a few gentle taps on the head. Let it sit while I ran the pink stuff through the pump and toilet, and drained the water heater.

Couldn't find the 1-1/16 socket (think I loaned it to my neighbour) so I tried my 1-1/8 (a bit big but I thought I would try a gentle torque). Came off very nicely. Some yellow teflon tape on there and judging by the ease at which it came off, I would say it has been out before. Might still be the original rod, but hasn't been sitting there for 15 years, which was my fear.

Not much of it left! Lots of goo and grit came with it. New anode and a rinsing wand are coming, so next week I'll clean the threads (looks like some of the original thread seal is still in there - Rectorseal? - or just hardened sediment), flush the inside and put it all back together.

[Bill]

Good find, Deb. And good work taking care of it. That rod is a mess.

If grit was back-flowing out of the water heater into the toilet, I imagine it should also grit up the faucets. You might want to pop the aerators off those faucets, and check the screens. It os annpoying when they suddenly won't flow due to grit in the screens.

Bill

[Deb Mac]

Originally Posted by Bill

Good find, Deb. And good work taking care of it. That rod is a mess.

If grit was back-flowing out of the water heater into the toilet, I imagine it should also grit up the faucets. You might want to pop the aerators off those faucets, and check the screens. It os annpoying when they suddenly won't flow due to grit in the screens.

Bill

I did clear the aerators part way through my trip. Got a bit out but nothing to speak of. I think it only really shows up when the flow is coming wrong way, from the bottom of the heater rather than the top, where it normally exits. Sucks all the crud from the bottom of the tank along with it. And only from the toilet. I think the faucets are a bit too high. Toilet line is relatively low. But I think the shower could have a problem. New shower head, but could have some crud in there.

I’m going to do it again before I close it up for the winter though - coming soon - just to make sure.

[Shane826]

Nicely done. Flush the heater out real nice like and then you may as well sanitize/descale it too!

https://youtu.be/g1KCVXQ-Pbw

[rickst29]

Originally Posted by Deb Mac

... New anode and a rinsing wand are coming, so next week I'll clean the threads (looks like some of the original thread seal is still in there - Rectorseal? - or just hardened sediment), flush the inside and put it all back together.

I'd try and reach back to those 'inner' threads with a cheap steak knife, sacrificed for this purpose with by bending the the blade end to angle at 90% from the rest of the blade. Gently clean off the remaining "stuff" to leave the threads clean, But don't press too hard (creating cuts, scratches, or distortion in the threads themselves).

I have used only 3-4 turns of teflon tape in my own anode rod changes, rather than creating possible issues with hardening pastes. That worked well.

[Deb Mac]

Originally Posted by Shane826

Nicely done. Flush the heater out real nice like and then you may as well sanitize/descale it too!

https://youtu.be/g1KCVXQ-Pbw

Excellent thought Shane. Thanks for the link….

[Deb Mac]

Originally Posted by rickst29

I'd try and reach back to those 'inner' threads with a cheap steak knife, sacrificed for this purpose with by bending the the blade end to angle at 90% from the rest of the blade. Gently clean off the remaining "stuff" to leave the threads clean, But don't press too hard (creating cuts, scratches, or distortion in the threads themselves).

I have used only 3-4 turns of teflon tape in my own anode rod changes, rather than creating possible issues with hardening pastes. That worked well.

I have a small wire brush but it might not be enough to remove that caked on “whatever” from those threads. Certain that I can find a knife to convert to “mung” removal. I also have a couple of dental scalers that are no use for dentistry anymore, but make nice little fine picking tools!
My preference would be teflon tape too. Rectorseal or loctite could make it harder to remove and leave bits behind.

[rickst29]

Originally Posted by Deb Mac

I have a small wire brush but it might not be enough to remove that caked on “whatever” from those threads. Certain that I can find a knife to convert to “mung” removal. I also have a couple of dental scalers that are no use for dentistry anymore, but make nice little fine picking tools!
My preference would be teflon tape too. Rectorseal or loctite could make it harder to remove and leave bits behind.

Thanks for the new reply. The last 1/2" or so of an everyday steak knife is typically not serrated. Most cheap ones can be bent into a curve shape near the end, so that the ending point can be angled into the threads. (A lot of good ones will crack, rather than bend -- use a low quality "dollar store" steak knife for this job.) The angle doesn't need to be sharp, there's room (along the diameter of the socket, where you later insert the new anode rod assembly) to make a smooth curve into the pointed end.

The resulting angle won't be perfect. You'll first want to work at the 'flat' of the furthest thread with gunk, and then switch to a slightly different angle for the 'flat leading into the next peak.

Dental pick tools can also do a good job. A wire brush, in contrast, will tend to damage the peaks of the threads, with less accuracy in scraping the angled sides. The bottom probably won't be as clean, either.

Definltely avoid loctite here, because loctite is not made for sealing against water leakage with later removal. Teflon tape is safe for water (even drinking water) and avoids issues with future removal.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by Deb Mac

I have a small wire brush but it might not be enough to remove that caked on “whatever” from those threads. Certain that I can find a knife to convert to “mung” removal. I also have a couple of dental scalers that are no use for dentistry anymore, but make nice little fine picking tools!
My preference would be teflon tape too. Rectorseal or loctite could make it harder to remove and leave bits behind.

Actually, blue Loctite won't make it harder to remove.

The reason that these bungs are hard to remove is because they are pipe threads. As we all know, pipe threads are tapered and water tries to find it's way down the thread voids. As it does, it caries sediment that hardens into mineral crystals that are very hard and they form a dam that prevents water getting past. In doing so, those crystals become an obstacle that fights against any movement of the bung and the harder one tries to force that bung to move, the more tightly packed those crystals become.

That's why using a breaker bar is a bad idea when trying to remove the bung. An impact wrench works well because it pulverizes the crystals and makes the bung movable.

Anyway, Blue Loctite or teflon tape work well at sealing the void between the threads so that mineral deposits cannot form in the first place. That's why your was easy to remove.