TECHNICAL REPORTS
How to replace your water heater’s sacrificial anode
T
here are a couple of American-manufactured gas water heaters ƚŚĂƚ ŚĂǀĞ ƐƚĞĞů ďŽŝůĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ƌĞƋƵŝƌĞ ƐĂĐƌŝĮĐŝĂů ĂŶŽĚĞƐ ƚŽ ŬĞĞƉ ƚŚĞŵ going for years.
One of the most popular brands is the Suburban water heater.
dŚĞ ƐĂĐƌŝĮĐŝĂů ĂŶŽĚĞ ŝƐ ŵĂĚĞ ŽĨ Ă ŵĂŐŶĞƐŝƵŵ ƌŽĚ͘ /ƚ ŝƐ ƐĐƌĞǁĞĚ ŝŶƚŽ ƚŚĞ ďŽƩŽŵ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ďŽŝůĞƌ ĂŶĚ ŝƚƐ ũŽď ŝƐ ƚŽ ĐŽƌƌŽĚĞ ĂǁĂLJ ŝŶƐƚĞĂĚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƐƚĞĞů ďŽŝůĞƌ ƌƵƐƟŶŐ away. However, it is vital for the longevity of the water heater that this anode is inspected or replaced every 12 months or so. dŚĞ ƌĞƉůĂĐĞŵĞŶƚ ƐĂĐƌŝĮĐŝĂů ĂŶŽĚĞƐ ĂƌĞ ĞĂƐŝůLJ ŽďƚĂŝŶĂďůĞ ĨƌŽŵ Zs ƐŚŽƉƐ Žƌ Ăƚ ůĞĂƐƚ ƚŚĞ ŵĂƐƚĞƌ ĂŐĞŶƚƐ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞƐĞ ŚĞĂƚĞƌƐ͕ Zs ^ƵƉƉůŝĞƐ ŝŶ Hamilton. To remove the anode from the water heater you will require a 27mm (1 ϭͬϭϲ͟Ϳ ƐŽĐŬĞƚ ĂŶĚ Ă ůŽŶŐ ďĂƌ͘ ĞĨŽƌĞ ƌĞŵŽǀŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ĂŶŽĚĞ ĞŶƐƵƌĞ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞ ǁĂƚĞƌ ŚĞĂƚĞƌ ŝƐ Žī ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŶƚĞŶƚƐ cold. Open the hot tap closest to the water heater to allow air to get into the ďŽŝůĞƌ ǁŚĞŶ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŶƚĞŶƚƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ďŽŝůĞƌ ĂƌĞ ƌĞůĞĂƐĞĚ͘ / ĂůƐŽ ƌĞĐŽŵŵĞŶĚ ƚŚĂƚ LJŽƵ ĐƵƚ ƵƉ ƚŚĞ ƚŽƉ ƐĞĐƟŽŶ ŽĨ Ă ƉůĂƐƟĐ ŵŝůŬ ďŽƩůĞ ƚŽ ŵĂŬĞ Ă ĚƌĂŝŶ ƚŽ ĂůůŽǁ ƚŚĞ ǁĂƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ĨŽƌĞŝŐŶ ŵĂƩĞƌ ƚŚĂƚ ŝƐ ŐŽŝŶŐ ƚŽ ĐŽŵĞ ŽƵƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ďŽŝůĞƌ ǁŚĞŶ ƚŚĞ ĂŶŽĚĞ ŝƐ ƌĞŵŽǀĞĚ͕ ŽǀĞƌ ƚŚĞ ƐŝĚĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ďŽĚLJ ǁŽƌŬ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ van. tŚĞŶ LJŽƵ ƌĞŵŽǀĞ ƚŚĞ ĂŶŽĚĞ ƵƐĞ ŝƚ ƚŽ ƐƟƌ ƚŚĞ ŽdžŝĚĞƐ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ďŽƩŽŵ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ boiler so that you remove most of them from within the boiler. DĂŬĞ ƐƵƌĞ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞ ƚŚƌĞĂĚƐ ĂƌĞ ĐůĞĂŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƐŽĐŬĞƚ ƚŚĂƚ ĂĐĐĞƉƚƐ ƚŚĞ ŶĞǁ anode, apply two or three turns of PTFE thread sealing tape to the thread ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ŶĞǁ ĂŶŽĚĞ ĂŶĚ ƌĞĮƚ ŝƚ ŝŶƚŽ ƚŚĞ ďŽŝůĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƟŐŚƚĞŶ ŝƚ up. EŽǁ ƚƵƌŶ ƚŚĞ ǁĂƚĞƌ ƉƵŵƉ ďĂĐŬ ŽŶ͕ ůĞĂǀŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ŚŽƚ ƚĂƉ KE͘ ĞǁĂƌĞ͕ ƚŚĞ ƚĂƉ ǁŝůů ƐƉŝƚ ĂŶĚ ƐƉƵƌƚ ĂƐ ƚŚĞ ďŽŝůĞƌ ƌĞĮůůƐ͘ dŚĞŶ͕ ŽŶĐĞ ƚŚĞ ǁĂƚĞƌ ŇŽǁƐ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ƚĂƉ ĐůĞĂƌ ŽĨ Ăŝƌ͕ ƚƵƌŶ ŝƚ Žī͘ dŚĞ ƉƵŵƉ ǁŝůů ƚŚĞŶ ƚƵƌŶ ŝƚƐĞůĨ Žī ʹ ũŽď done! zŽƵ ŵĂLJ ŶŽƟĐĞ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞ ǁĂƚĞƌ ƉƵŵƉ ǁŝůů ŶŽǁ ƚƵƌŶ ŽŶ ĂŌĞƌ ĂŶLJ ƚĂƉ ŝƐ ƚƵƌŶĞĚ ŽŶ ĂŶĚ ƚƵƌŶ Žī ĂŌĞƌ LJŽƵ ƚƵƌŶ ƚŚĞ ƚĂƉ Žī͕ ƚŚĞ ƉĞƌŝŽĚ ĐŽƵůĚ ďĞ Ă half to a one second delay. dŚŝƐ ŝƐ ĐĂƵƐĞĚ ďLJ ƚŚĞ ƉŽĐŬĞƚ ŽĨ Ăŝƌ ƚŚĂƚ ŝƐ ŶŽǁ ƐŝƫŶŐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ďŽŝůĞƌ ĂĐƟŶŐ ĂƐ a cushion as the water pressure increases within the boiler. This has the ƐĂŵĞ ĞīĞĐƚ ĂƐ ĂŶ ĂĐĐƵŵƵůĂƚŽƌ ƚĂŶŬ ƚŚĂƚ ŝƐ ƌĞĐŽŵŵĞŶĚĞĚ ƚŽ ďĞ ĮƩĞĚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ǁĂƚĞƌ ƉƵŵƉ ƐLJƐƚĞŵ͘ /ƚ ƌĞĚƵĐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƵŵďĞƌ ŽĨ ƟŵĞƐ ƚŚĞ ƉƵŵƉ ƚƵƌŶƐ ŽŶ ĂŶĚ ƌĞĚƵĐĞƐ ƉƵůƐĂƟŽŶ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ pump.
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dŚĞ ƉŚŽƚŽƐ ĂďŽǀĞ ƐŚŽǁ Ă ƌĞŵŽǀĞĚ ĂŶŽĚĞ ĂŌĞƌ ƚǁŽ LJĞĂƌƐ ŽĨ ƵƐĞ͖ ƚŚĞ ƉůĂƐƟĐ ǁĂƚĞƌ ĚŝǀĞƌƚĞƌ ƵƐĞĚ ƚŽ ƚĂŬĞ ƚŚĞ ƌĞůĞĂƐĞĚ ǁĂƚĞƌ ĨƌŽŵ ŝŶƐŝĚĞ ƚŚĞ ďŽŝůĞƌ ƚŽ ŽǀĞƌ ƚŚĞ ƐŝĚĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƚŽƌŚŽŵĞ͖ ĂŶĚ ŚŽǁ ƚŽ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ƚŚĞ ĚŝǀĞƌƚĞƌ͘
tŚĞŶ LJŽƵ ƵŶĚĞƌƚĂŬĞ ƚŚĞ ƌĞƉůĂĐĞŵĞŶƚͬŝŶƐƉĞĐƟŽŶ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƐĂĐƌŝĮĐŝĂů ĂŶŽĚĞ it is a good idea to give the burner a good clean out using compressed air. Note, stand aside as the burner could be full of carbon! dŚŝƐ ǁĞĞ ďŝƚ ŽĨ ƟŵĞ ƐƉĞŶƚ͕ ǁŝůů ŐŝǀĞ LJŽƵ ƚƌŽƵďůĞͲĨƌĞĞ ŽƉĞƌĂƟŽŶ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ǁĂƚĞƌ ŚĞĂƚĞƌ ǁŚŝĐŚ ǁŝůů ĂůƐŽ ůĂƐƚ LJŽƵ ŵĂŶLJ LJĞĂƌƐ ŝĨ LJŽƵ ƵŶĚĞƌƚĂŬĞ ŝƚ ĞǀĞƌLJ year or so. /ƚ ƐŚŽƵůĚ ďĞ ŶŽƚĞĚ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞ ŽŶůLJ ǁĂƚĞƌ ŚĞĂƚĞƌƐ ƚŚĂƚ ƵƐĞ ƐĂĐƌŝĮĐŝĂů ĂŶŽĚĞƐ are the Suburban brand. Other brands of water heater use glass or resinlined boilers or stainless steel boilers.
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