Recently while taking a plumbers course I learned a way to possibly extend the life of your hot water tank. The hot water heater in my house is coming up on seven years. The warranty has expired and I want to extend the life if at all possible.
Hot water tanks do require minimal maintenance. Each year you should drain off at least 1 or 2 gallons of water from the bottom of the tank at the drain valve. This is to remove any sentiment building up at the bottom of the tank.
Most, water tanks have a device called a sacrificial anode rod. This rod is designed to deteriorate and save the lining of your tank thus expanding the lifespan of your hot water heater.
All water sources have different corrosive elements that can harm plumbing fixtures. In most cases private wells shorten the life expectancy of your hot water heater due to minerals. Average life expectancy of a hot water tank is 10 to 15 years.
In order to make this investment worthwhile the age of you tank should be less than 10 years old. Have a qualified heating technician or plumber; examine the condition of the tank to verify the tank is still in good working order prior to making this investment.
The gas water heater below also has a helix coil/baffle to exhaust fumes from the burner below the tank. If there is debris on the burner plate you may want to reconsider this operation. Oil fired water heaters resemble gas for this example will look at gas and electric only.
In the photo above the sacrificial anode rod is on the hot supply-side. The cold water “supply” side has a dip tube designed with holes along its sides to mix the water inside the tank.
The video shows this procedure needed to change the sacrificial anode rod. Performed by, Steve Labbe of Paradigm Plumbing & Heating a licensed HVAC and plumbing contractor. Please note the condition of the anode rod replaced.
Entire operation took less than one hour, the sacrificial anode rod is relatively inexpensive. However as with all plumbing things can go wrong so it’s recommended to use a licensed plumbing contractor to make this repair.
I would suggest you also check out my blog on “Possible bomb within your home“. If your pressure relief valve is installed as described have it checked. This is a common problem, overlooked by plumbers and home inspectors.
