technically a tank would last forever if you flush it and replace the anode rode every few years , but then manufacturers have no interest in that. The anode is tightened by an air gun. Very often it is so tight that a home owner will have 3 different plumbers trying to get it out with no results
An impact wrench is essential in this job. I just removed a very corroded anode rod and even with a cheater bar was unable to release the rod. Impact wrench allows you to get it broken free with ease.. Couple of points. You might wanna soak the threads with some PB blaster or equivalent for several minutes. Also remove the plastic cap that surrounds the nut head. This will allow the impact wrench socket to completely cover the head of the rod. Keep an eye on the impact wrench as it progresses. You just wanna break it loose so that it turns maybe a quarter of a turn or so. Then the socket and cheater bar can remove it the rest of the way. Use tape or Teflon pipe sealant you will get metal to metal contact - there’s no way you won’t with the new rod being tightened in place. You can always check this with your multimeter if you’re not convinced. Make sure you clean the threads extensively before installing the new rod due to the calcium buildup in getting the old rod out.
This is what I love about RUclips. Less than a minute into the video I've already found the answer in the comments. They're a greater resource than the videos themselves; the videos are just prompts or conversation starters.
@Robert Cross need a better impact wrench or give up on it. Might be able to heat it with torch to help loosen but that presents it own issues. Assuming you have soaked with penetrant?
Genius. My husband and I were ready to kill each other and the survivor was going to be stuck with a new water heater bill. We used an impact wrench with no joy and had a four foot long cheater but you can't pull against air. We ended up having to use two straps, one coming and one going. Fortunately it's a small room so we could brace the additional support needed against the far wall, less than five feet. He's 70 1/2 and I'm almost 64 but thanks to you, we did it.
Butonierka W Bucie can you give me a link to one? I’ve tried for a couple of hours and now I’ve bent the threads. I cannot get the anode rod out. My male neighbor even helped me. Now I have no hot water.
I thought of a completely different way of getting the stuck anode rod out. I’m a little old lady with not much power so had to think outside the box. I used a car jack wedged horizontally on a wall stud to slowly apply torque to the breaker bar. At first there wasn’t enough room to fit the jack so I took a long 2×4 and started farther away from the breaker bar. I wedged in pieces of wood as needed and moved the jack closer and closer to the bar, always putting it on a stud. Finally I had the jack on the breaker bar itself and it came loose!! The whole process took me about 15 minutes of patient work.
Couldn't loosen my 7 year old tank's anode rod using a regular ratchet bar... then a cheater pipe on the bar with 2 adult males... then my pneumatic impact wrench. So I hosed it with penetrating oil and waited a week. Came off without a problem. Sometimes you just need to let things work.
Drill a hole through the top, and hit the edges with a chisel and hammer. Basically you're ripping it out. This method is ugly, but it works. I have removed steel piping doing this and I've seen professional hvac guys do it.
My School of Hard Knocks experience is as follows: I tried the 20 volt impact driver on a Rheem hot water heater less than 1 year old and it failed to loosen the nut. When I attempted to use a breaker bar without securing the tank, it rotated out of position and I failed to place it back into its original position. The supply fitting was then slightly out of position and of course it then leaked when everything was hooked back up. Obviously a lesson I won't forget, and I hope someone else learns before they make my mistake!
I was gonna say, flip it on it's side, but I don't know if that would work either. Best solution, don't mess with the anode, you're heater will still last at least 15 years. Our last one lasted 28 years and it was never flushed or had the anode replaced.
@@GTSN38 sure but well water has many issues depending on where you live. Sulfur is one and most tanks will have a magnesium rod which has a bad chemical reaction to sulfur.
Thank you. I tried saturday to unloosen mine ended up breaking water line, CPVC and gave up. I watched your video and applied ratchet strap around mine and was able to get it loose and I changed it just now. Thanks again for the video.
also when you install a new water heater..unscrew the anode bolt then retighten it. ..the factory puts it on super tight thats why their so hard to get off
I just went through with this on a five year old unit. I got it removed using an impact wrench and impact socket and no securing needed. (I first tried a regular socket but that failed.)
@@JL-bo4bh I used www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007WQQ90A/, which is air compressor driven. My 9 year old tank took about 5 minutes of impact action before the anode rod came loose. The factory puts them in very tight. I'll be checking it every 3-4 years in the future.
@@attocoulomb Manufacturers put them in extremely tight so you won't be able to easily replace anode rods and your tank will only live 8 years. Instead of 38......Every business has to move it's inventory.
Wow! This video saved my sanity. These over-torqued anode rods are a clear sign of bad faith and nefarious intent on the part of the HWH manufacturers. This allows their deniability of planned obsolescence. To show good faith, they install substantial anode rods that will last for years - but much less than their warranty period. Then they make it impossible for us homeowners to actually inspect them: 1) They require an "exotic" (by homeowners standards) wrench. 2) The use a bare steel thread (no teflon tape to improve seal and reduce friction). 3) The installation torque is far beyond the average homeowner. 4) An air-powered impact wrench is required. How many homeowners have one? Not the guy who made this video. Are you more handy than he? So, very few anode rods ever get examined. Or replaced. This is apparently not a problem for large numbers of consumers who have soft water. The service life will not be compromised. By for me, and those who have "hard" or "aggressive" water, the service life will be significantly shorted. And of course, the installation manual does not mention it. And the "professionals" that installed my HWH didn't know better; BTW, if you have aggressive water, be sure to use a "diaelectric union" to separate steel and bronze/copper. The use of teflon tape and/or pipe dope (putty) is not adequate; mine had both, and failed in four years. TL;DR: See "BTW"
Any other suggestions, please? I have a 2 year old water heater and am trying to change the anode rod. I have a socket wrench, with a breaker bar and a cheater bar and strap to keep the heater from turning. I have also tried a powerful drill, but the anode rod will NOT buldge. One video suggested is to use a food oil, instead of bad sprays like WD40, so I tried coconut oil, with no success. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
TIPS, spray with PB Blaster penetrating oil for 2 weeks daily prior to attempting removal. Electric or air impact gun with impact sockets is the best way to remove one.
AWESOME PLAN, good to see people still use their heads when we think all is lost. BTW, WD40 or PB will be fine, you're not going to get enough in the water supply ( if any ) to worry. Hell, we should be more concerned about fast-food consumption.
I didn't think about the Teflon tape preventing conduction so l wrapped it up. But checking now with an ohm meter there is zero resistance between the rod and the tank. Looks like the pipe threading cuts through the tape.
Watched several of these anode rod replacement videos. Some use a small area of teflon tape only at the very 1/4 top of the rod so there is still electrode conduction. Some use liquid teflon which sounds feasible but I would still be concerned about the film interfering with the conduction. I'm wondering if using dielectric lube/grease like you get from an auto parts store would work the best as it would lubricate yet still conduct the electrolysis process?
took some doing, thanks for the idea, while not exactly what I ended up with,, it was enough to point me in the right direction.. for anyone that just cannot get it,, borough a good impact wrench.. that is the easier way,,
Easier way to do that is take a hammer and tap on the end of the break over handle with short but firm taps. With just a little patience it will come loose. No need for all of the straps.
Good video. While on the subject of corrosion on the water tank, One thing you forgot to do, and is a required building code in all states is to use dielectric fittings. One on the cold water inlet and one on hot water outlet. The fittings in the tank are steel. When you connect the copper pipes to those steel fittings rust much like the rod you just replaced tends to build up at this point. These fittings have a nylon pressure barrier that doesn’t let the steel and copper touch. Water and metals of all types don’t get along rust always wins. We can only delay the rust but never eliminate it. That’s why the rod was invented and these dielectric fittings. To better understand this look up dielectric fittings and why they are used. Remember, these are mandatory building code requirements for all states. If not required outside of the US I would advise you use it anyway.
Lowe's installed our tank 9 years ago and they did use dielectric fittings. Plus extension tank right off cold water supply line near the heater. They did decent job.
An impact wrench is your only hope in a situation like this. I have a 1475 ft-lb impact wrench. I had to beat for several seconds to remove my anode rod. They can be very, very tight if they haven't been out for a long time or ever. When installing the new one, add a coating of anti-seize to the threads. Next time, removal will be a breeze.
If you have a 10 year or older hot water heater that anode rod is going to be stuck in place. After all those years it pretty much bonded to the hot water heater. You can use a breaker bar with a 10 foot cheater bar and its not going to come off. You'll end up rounding off the end of the socket or damaging your hot water heater. The best way to get it off is to get a powerful air impact wrench or a high torque impact wrench. It took me about about 10 minutes to remove the anode rod with my air impact gun. I set the psi on my compressor as high as it could go and kept going at it until it finally started releasing. I tried for over a half hour with the breaker bar and the cheater bar before I realized that I needed to work smarter and not harder. Also I suggest that you drain your entire tank while you're at it. I had a lot of rusty brown water in mine. I drained and filled it a few times until it started coming out clear. Hopefully it lasts a few more years.
Just remember that impact wrench is going to vibrate the crap out of that android rod and probably shake off all the corrosion into your tank. Just a thought
@@petermcbilt594 True. That's why I "flood - flushed" the tank while removing old and installing new anode rod. It means I closed cold water supply valve and just drained about two gals of water thru the bottom nipple /ball valve ( I installed when tank was new). While doing it I opened few hot water faucets in the house to release inner pressure inside the tank ( so old anode rod wouldn't shoot out like a rocket). I removed old anode rod. Then I closed the faucets and opened cold water supply valve back while still draining and installed new ( sausage link style) Mg anode rod. Kept draining with cold water entering the tank for another three minutes, until drained water looked clear. All that time I did not change thermostat setting, so water in the tank was heated ( and inner tank didn't get burned). When all was finished I ran hot water faucets again for couple minutes ( with aerators off) then put aerators back on and was ready to roll. The thing ( 40 gal tank) stopped heating water after couple of minutes. Oh, BTW, I used impact driver with 1 1/16" impact socket wrench to budge old rod. Tank was almost 9 years old ( original anode rod inside) and impact driver only needed about 15 seconds. Not much of metal was left on old rod, so timing was perfect and I will know that next replacement will be done in about 8 -9 years...
Bad experience with a Rheem hot water heater. The head of the bolt on top of the anode was real thin. I put my impact wrench with a lot of downward pressure on it and it stripped the head of the bolt. Rheem needs to put a bolt with a longer head on top of their anode. I was trying to replace the anode to get rid of a sulfur type smell. Rheem customer support was rude and unhelpful.
Hi I would not bother with that just get an impact and use it 1 1/16 inch must be the silver regular socket as the black hardened ones are to large to fit in the hole. Water off, blue cold water feed in, gas to pilot drain 20 % of tank spin the rod out use a osculating tool to cut it if your need too. You need the chain link style of rod to replace it, that covers you for easy install ,if you don't have the height. And Make sure you have Teflon tape and a round wire brush about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch wide and 1 inch long to clean the treads before use.
I did not take anode rod for a long time. I am thinking of flushing water through for 3 fill-refill cycles in the tank to get all built-up calcium on the bottom. Also, think of putting vinegar and a 3-fill-refill cycle. What do you think?
My name is Edwin and love ur video. I have American water heater Proline the same like in your video so I have some questions. Did u buy the ano rod from the american water company? And how did u find out is the right one for ur water heater??? or U got it from homedepot or Lowe's plz tell me. As you know not only the ano rod needs to be replaced but the dip tub needs to be replaced too. So did you replace the dip tub ?? Plz tell me how did u do it???? I ask you this because I saw many videos that dip tub is replaced but for our water heater there is no video how to do it. I tried and I couldn't get the dip tub I saw like a blue threaded plastic so I was thinking that I have to pull out the blue threaded plastic so dip tub will come out but I didn't do it because I didn't know if my idea was right .
You can put the Teflon tape further down the threads. When you tighten the anode rod, the threads will cut through the tape and make metal-metal contact. I always check that with an ohm meter, just to be sure, but it always does.
Use WD 40 should be OK as long as water does not back flow to cold water pipe than you will be fine. I install check valve in the cold water pipe to prevent water in the tank back flow to cold water pipe.
Thank you. I tried saturday to unloosen mine ended up breaking water line, CPVC and gave up. I watched your video and applied ratchet strap around mine and was able to get it loose and I changed it just now. Thanks again for the video.
So maybe you will have an idea on how to get the bottom element out. The calcium buildup on the bottom element is so bad that it has opened the element too wide to get out. What should I do. The first water heater I had was the kind that just has one U and i would take them out every four months and clean the calcium off and put it back in or if the calcium built up too much it would just break. But my new heater the element is twice as long and is bent over. So the calcium has caused the element to open up bigger than the hole.
Use a thin, rigid rod like a screwdriver to bend (temporarily, unfortunately wont hold but addressed at end) tip of bent back portion of element just enough to align with port. Stick aligning rod through tip of bent back portion and finangle aligning rod between 2 sides of initial portion of element provides a leverage point to bend just enough. After making sure tip is pulled back and jammed into port should be able to use head of element to really pull hard while shifting up/down or left/right and that baby will pull out of there while "aligning" an inch or so at a time and scraping through tons of lime! Very satisfying!
@@thecynic807 well do you want a water heater that doesn't work or do you want to cut off your element and leave that sitting in the bottom of your water heater to corrode and tarnish your water? Actually you won't mess up the threads because they're tapered and you will only be impacting the absolute bottom thread and a NPT thread is a very strong thread. I literally just overhauled my own water heater and it threaded back in like butter. Plus the material that rod is made out of is by definition nowhere near as rigid as the tank threads. That's what makes it a more efficient resistance heat source, let alone the fact that it's a corroded rod.
It's about 30 inches from the top of my water heater to the ceiling. Did you say you had a 30 inch anode rod? Should I buy a 30 inch anode rod or shorter?
I've heard that when the anode is gone like that, and if you put a new anode in. Your water heater will start leaking or fail soon afterwards. Did your water heater fail a few months after replacing the anode?
@006pup That's how long it should last until you replace anode rod again. Rule of thumb is : replace every 2-3 years if you have water softener in the house and replace every 8-9 years without water softener.
Philip Dove - it can be tough to get the old rod out and especially if it’s very old and had been in place for a long time. I just did one that had a lot of calcium buildup and getting the first 24 inches out was fairly tough. I just had to jam it up and down continuously lowering the rod down into the water to allow the rod to be cleansed. I even had to cut the rod into 4 pieces due to the height restriction from the ceiling. This was easily accomplished with a recip saw. Make sure you use vise grip clamps to ensure the rod doesn’t fall into the tank!!
@@legalsolutions07 If you don't have water softener it's way too often. Usually 8-9 years will do. When done with this frequency your tank should last about 40 years. Unless there's a war or massive earthquake.....
Looks like you can also use a cheater bar between the 2 water lines (if thick steel tubes protrude enough) to counter rotate against turning on the anode rod, in effect using 2 cheater bars. Also as you answered on a comment segmented anodes are available for short clearances above the water heater. Nice video.
Good idea! In other videos,I seldom see earthquake straps. WHY???? I'll see IF my tank tries to turn when trying to remove the anode. Maybe my straps will hold the tank from turning. I won't drain the tank all of the way B-4 I attempt anode removal. I may drain the tank after completion. Thanks!
You should consider completely removing this video because suggesting people use muriatic acid (causes serious problems when mixed incorrectly with water) and probably any of the other various loosener fluids you suggested is not only careless... it is just plain irresponsible. I bet if someone used most of those fluids they would almost surely contaminate their water supply and just might accidentally kill themselves or someone else. Seriously!!! read this about muriatic acid "Never pour water into acid. ... Diluting acid in water can produce heat and may cause boiling and spattering if mixed too fast." Please remove this video!
You are experiencing all of this needless difficulty because the water heater was designed and built by an American company. Everything, and I mean everything, designed by American companies is garbage and becomes a needless hasle. We never go through this with my house in Germany. Heck, our gutters don't even clog!
Wrong. I've owned several German cars and a Bosch dishwasher. They were constantly needing expensive repairs. I had a BMW with catastrophic engine failure at 33,000 miles. Bosch dishwasher was junk, maybe it saved water but the one thing it didn't do was clean dishes.
technically a tank would last forever if you flush it and replace the anode rode every few years , but then manufacturers have no interest in that. The anode is tightened by an air gun. Very often it is so tight that a home owner will have 3 different plumbers trying to get it out with no results
I asked my plumber after I has bought a new rod, he made a face and said no way, not today
Milwaukee impact wrench sid the trick for me.
An impact wrench is essential in this job. I just removed a very corroded anode rod and even with a cheater bar was unable to release the rod. Impact wrench allows you to get it broken free with ease.. Couple of points. You might wanna soak the threads with some PB blaster or equivalent for several minutes. Also remove the plastic cap that surrounds the nut head. This will allow the impact wrench socket to completely cover the head of the rod. Keep an eye on the impact wrench as it progresses. You just wanna break it loose so that it turns maybe a quarter of a turn or so. Then the socket and cheater bar can remove it the rest of the way. Use tape or Teflon pipe sealant you will get metal to metal contact - there’s no way you won’t with the new rod being tightened in place. You can always check this with your multimeter if you’re not convinced. Make sure you clean the threads extensively before installing the new rod due to the calcium buildup in getting the old rod out.
Reading this after just putting PB blaster on it..now I wait!
This is what I love about RUclips. Less than a minute into the video I've already found the answer in the comments. They're a greater resource than the videos themselves; the videos are just prompts or conversation starters.
@Robert Cross need a better impact wrench or give up on it. Might be able to heat it with torch to help loosen but that presents it own issues. Assuming you have soaked with penetrant?
Genius. My husband and I were ready to kill each other and the survivor was going to be stuck with a new water heater bill. We used an impact wrench with no joy and had a four foot long cheater but you can't pull against air. We ended up having to use two straps, one coming and one going. Fortunately it's a small room so we could brace the additional support needed against the far wall, less than five feet. He's 70 1/2 and I'm almost 64 but thanks to you, we did it.
Funny just use an impact drill no need to do all this work
Just use impact driver w/ 1 1/16 in socket wrench. It took me 10 seconds to budge the old rod. No movements of the tank. No sweat.
Butonierka W Bucie can you give me a link to one? I’ve tried for a couple of hours and now I’ve bent the threads. I cannot get the anode rod out. My male neighbor even helped me. Now I have no hot water.
I thought of a completely different way of getting the stuck anode rod out. I’m a little old lady with not much power so had to think outside the box. I used a car jack wedged horizontally on a wall stud to slowly apply torque to the breaker bar. At first there wasn’t enough room to fit the jack so I took a long 2×4 and started farther away from the breaker bar. I wedged in pieces of wood as needed and moved the jack closer and closer to the bar, always putting it on a stud. Finally I had the jack on the breaker bar itself and it came loose!! The whole process took me about 15 minutes of patient work.
Put that teflon tape on there! The threads will cut contact points through the tape.
Checking with a continuity tester will show you .
@@kcjones679 I checked conductivity and it worked. Just wrap teflon tape about 6 times over ALL threads.
Thank you so much! Mine did the exact same thing after a long time trying to break mine free. Tried this and it popped free no issues!
Couldn't loosen my 7 year old tank's anode rod using a regular ratchet bar... then a cheater pipe on the bar with 2 adult males... then my pneumatic impact wrench. So I hosed it with penetrating oil and waited a week. Came off without a problem.
Sometimes you just need to let things work.
Well im boned. Anode head rounded off even with my tank secured, a breaker and cheater bar, and downward pressure on socket. HAHA no fix for this one.
Drill a hole through the top, and hit the edges with a chisel and hammer. Basically you're ripping it out. This method is ugly, but it works. I have removed steel piping doing this and I've seen professional hvac guys do it.
ONLY use impact driver with impact ( long) 1 1/16 socket wrench. It's best kept plumbers' secret.
Don't drain the tank first; the weight of the water will help keep the tank in place when you're removing the anode rod.
My School of Hard Knocks experience is as follows: I tried the 20 volt impact driver on a Rheem hot water heater less than 1 year old and it failed to loosen the nut. When I attempted to use a breaker bar without securing the tank, it rotated out of position and I failed to place it back into its original position. The supply fitting was then slightly out of position and of course it then leaked when everything was hooked back up. Obviously a lesson I won't forget, and I hope someone else learns before they make my mistake!
I was gonna say, flip it on it's side, but I don't know if that would work either. Best solution, don't mess with the anode, you're heater will still last at least 15 years. Our last one lasted 28 years and it was never flushed or had the anode replaced.
@@GTSN38 That depends on your water supply. Where I live we are are lucky to get 6 years use out of one if anode rod is not changed every 3 or 4 years
@@GTSN38 sure but well water has many issues depending on where you live. Sulfur is one and most tanks will have a magnesium rod which has a bad chemical reaction to sulfur.
Use plenty of Teflon tape. It will not stop continuity. There will be plenty of iron to steel contact as the threads cut through the tape.
Thank you. I tried saturday to unloosen mine ended up breaking water line, CPVC and gave up. I watched your video and applied ratchet strap around mine and was able to get it loose and I changed it just now. Thanks again for the video.
also when you install a new water heater..unscrew the anode bolt then retighten it. ..the factory puts it on super tight thats why their so hard to get off
zed zardoz can the threads or the socket be messed up by putting so much force to get it out?
Make sure you use a 6 point socket. A 12 point can strip the top of the bolt or crack when you use a breaker bar or impact wrench.
would an impact wrench be tool of choice ?
I just went through with this on a five year old unit. I got it removed using an impact wrench and impact socket and no securing needed.
(I first tried a regular socket but that failed.)
What brand and model of the impact wrench you used? I'm going to maintain my water heater.
@@JL-bo4bh I used www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007WQQ90A/, which is air compressor driven. My 9 year old tank took about 5 minutes of impact action before the anode rod came loose. The factory puts them in very tight. I'll be checking it every 3-4 years in the future.
@@attocoulomb Manufacturers put them in extremely tight so you won't be able to easily replace anode rods and your tank will only live 8 years. Instead of 38......Every business has to move it's inventory.
Wow! This video saved my sanity.
These over-torqued anode rods are a clear sign of bad faith and nefarious intent on the part of the HWH manufacturers. This allows their deniability of planned obsolescence. To show good faith, they install substantial anode rods that will last for years - but much less than their warranty period. Then they make it impossible for us homeowners to actually inspect them:
1) They require an "exotic" (by homeowners standards) wrench.
2) The use a bare steel thread (no teflon tape to improve seal and reduce friction).
3) The installation torque is far beyond the average homeowner.
4) An air-powered impact wrench is required. How many homeowners have one? Not the guy who made this video. Are you more handy than he?
So, very few anode rods ever get examined. Or replaced.
This is apparently not a problem for large numbers of consumers who have soft water. The service life will not be compromised. By for me, and those who have "hard" or "aggressive" water, the service life will be significantly shorted.
And of course, the installation manual does not mention it. And the "professionals" that installed my HWH didn't know better;
BTW, if you have aggressive water, be sure to use a "diaelectric union" to separate steel and bronze/copper. The use of teflon tape and/or pipe dope (putty) is not adequate; mine had both, and failed in four years.
TL;DR: See "BTW"
Any other suggestions, please? I have a 2 year old water heater and am trying to change the anode rod. I have a socket wrench, with a breaker bar and a cheater bar and strap to keep the heater from turning. I have also tried a powerful drill, but the anode rod will NOT buldge. One video suggested is to use a food oil, instead of bad sprays like WD40, so I tried coconut oil, with no success. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
TIPS, spray with PB Blaster penetrating oil for 2 weeks daily prior to attempting removal. Electric or air impact gun with impact sockets is the best way to remove one.
Tried everything, even an impact gun borrowed from my neighbor. I'm a pretty strong guy. This god damned thing will not budge.
AWESOME PLAN, good to see people still use their heads when we think all is lost. BTW, WD40 or PB will be fine, you're not going to get enough in the water supply ( if any ) to worry. Hell, we should be more concerned about fast-food consumption.
I didn't think about the Teflon tape preventing conduction so l wrapped it up. But checking now with an ohm meter there is zero resistance between the rod and the tank. Looks like the pipe threading cuts through the tape.
Watched several of these anode rod replacement videos. Some use a small area of teflon tape only at the very 1/4 top of the rod so there is still electrode conduction. Some use liquid teflon which sounds feasible but I would still be concerned about the film interfering with the conduction. I'm wondering if using dielectric lube/grease like you get from an auto parts store would work the best as it would lubricate yet still conduct the electrolysis process?
took some doing, thanks for the idea, while not exactly what I ended up with,, it was enough to point me in the right direction.. for anyone that just cannot get it,, borough a good impact wrench.. that is the easier way,,
Easier way to do that is take a hammer and tap on the end of the break over handle with short but firm taps. With just a little patience it will come loose. No need for all of the straps.
We can send rovers to Mars but we still using tech from the 70s. We shouldn't have to fight with a stuck rod like this
Good video. While on the subject of corrosion on the water tank, One thing you forgot to do, and is a required building code in all states is to use dielectric fittings. One on the cold water inlet and one on hot water outlet. The fittings in the tank are steel. When you connect the copper pipes to those steel fittings rust much like the rod you just replaced tends to build up at this point. These fittings have a nylon pressure barrier that doesn’t let the steel and copper touch. Water and metals of all types don’t get along rust always wins. We can only delay the rust but never eliminate it. That’s why the rod was invented and these dielectric fittings. To better understand this look up dielectric fittings and why they are used. Remember, these are mandatory building code requirements for all states. If not required outside of the US I would advise you use it anyway.
Required code in every state ? You're full of shit. It's a good idea to use dielectric fittings, but you don't have to.
Lowe's installed our tank 9 years ago and they did use dielectric fittings. Plus extension tank right off cold water supply line near the heater. They did decent job.
You saved my life.
Smart idea. Maybe now I can get mine out.
Spray PB blaster a few times and let it work for a few hours. Use a breaker bar to loosen the nut.
An impact wrench is your only hope in a situation like this. I have a 1475 ft-lb impact wrench. I had to beat for several seconds to remove my anode rod. They can be very, very tight if they haven't been out for a long time or ever. When installing the new one, add a coating of anti-seize to the threads. Next time, removal will be a breeze.
Is the rod purr magnesium or an alloy?
If you have a 10 year or older hot water heater that anode rod is going to be stuck in place. After all those years it pretty much bonded to the hot water heater. You can use a breaker bar with a 10 foot cheater bar and its not going to come off. You'll end up rounding off the end of the socket or damaging your hot water heater.
The best way to get it off is to get a powerful air impact wrench or a high torque impact wrench. It took me about about 10 minutes to remove the anode rod with my air impact gun. I set the psi on my compressor as high as it could go and kept going at it until it finally started releasing. I tried for over a half hour with the breaker bar and the cheater bar before I realized that I needed to work smarter and not harder.
Also I suggest that you drain your entire tank while you're at it. I had a lot of rusty brown water in mine. I drained and filled it a few times until it started coming out clear. Hopefully it lasts a few more years.
Just remember that impact wrench is going to vibrate the crap out of that android rod and probably shake off all the corrosion into your tank. Just a thought
@First LastMine too. Dumb idea. Don't know why Bradley White does this.
@@petermcbilt594 True. That's why I "flood - flushed" the tank while removing old and installing new anode rod. It means I closed cold water supply valve and just drained about two gals of water thru the bottom nipple /ball valve ( I installed when tank was new). While doing it I opened few hot water faucets in the house to release inner pressure inside the tank ( so old anode rod wouldn't shoot out like a rocket). I removed old anode rod. Then I closed the faucets and opened cold water supply valve back while still draining and installed new ( sausage link style) Mg anode rod. Kept draining with cold water entering the tank for another three minutes, until drained water looked clear. All that time I did not change thermostat setting, so water in the tank was heated ( and inner tank didn't get burned). When all was finished I ran hot water faucets again for couple minutes ( with aerators off) then put aerators back on and was ready to roll. The thing ( 40 gal tank) stopped heating water after couple of minutes. Oh, BTW, I used impact driver with 1 1/16" impact socket wrench to budge old rod. Tank was almost 9 years old ( original anode rod inside) and impact driver only needed about 15 seconds. Not much of metal was left on old rod, so timing was perfect and I will know that next replacement will be done in about 8 -9 years...
Bad experience with a Rheem hot water heater. The head of the bolt on top of the anode was real thin. I put my impact wrench with a lot of downward pressure on it and it stripped the head of the bolt. Rheem needs to put a bolt with a longer head on top of their anode. I was trying to replace the anode to get rid of a sulfur type smell. Rheem customer support was rude and unhelpful.
I think Rheem and RUUD ( pun intended) are the same company now......
Excellent, better than the vid by THIS OLD HOUSE. Thx.
Had to use impact gun to get factory anoid out ....
My plumber couldn’t remove mine-not kidding ya!
Used an impact wrench Broke free very easily
Quick tip, only empty your tank 12”s
Hi I would not bother with that just get an impact and use it 1 1/16 inch must be the silver regular socket as the black hardened ones are to large to fit in the hole. Water off, blue cold water feed in, gas to pilot drain 20 % of tank spin the rod out use a osculating tool to cut it if your need too. You need the chain link style of rod to replace it, that covers you for easy install ,if you don't have the height. And Make sure you have Teflon tape and a round wire brush about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch wide and 1 inch long to clean the treads before use.
I had the same problem. Ended up using my ryobi 1/2 inch impact with a socket, it came right out.
I did not take anode rod for a long time. I am thinking of flushing water through for 3 fill-refill cycles in the tank to get all built-up calcium on the bottom. Also, think of putting vinegar and a 3-fill-refill cycle. What do you think?
My name is Edwin and love ur video. I have American water heater Proline the same like in your video so I have some questions.
Did u buy the ano rod from the american water company? And how did u find out is the right one for ur water heater??? or U got it from homedepot or Lowe's plz tell me.
As you know not only the ano rod needs to be replaced but the dip tub needs to be replaced too. So did you replace the dip tub ??
Plz tell me how did u do it????
I ask you this because I saw many videos that dip tub is replaced but for our water heater there is no video how to do it.
I tried and I couldn't get the dip tub I saw like a blue threaded plastic so I was thinking that I have to pull out the blue threaded plastic so dip tub will come out but I didn't do it because I didn't know if my idea was right .
You can put the Teflon tape further down the threads. When you tighten the anode rod, the threads will cut through the tape and make metal-metal contact. I always check that with an ohm meter, just to be sure, but it always does.
How do you prevent the liner from cracking. When you do that?
Use WD 40 should be OK as long as water does not back flow to cold water pipe than you will be fine. I install check valve in the cold water pipe to prevent water in the tank back flow to cold water pipe.
A brilliant way to keep the tank from moving!
Thank you. I tried saturday to unloosen mine ended up breaking water line, CPVC and gave up. I watched your video and applied ratchet strap around mine and was able to get it loose and I changed it just now. Thanks again for the video.
and you bathed in and drank those dissolved metal and minerals
Good information I'm in that situation right now will give it a try
I used my impact wrench. Saved me the headache.
Won't them bends in the rod corrode quicker than the rod?
the idea is that the rode corrodes first, as that's its mission.
The bends in the rod aren't the same material so they don't "disintegrate".
I got to do mine but I got an impact wrench so it "should" come right out
Great attempt, but the easiest is rent or buy ac or battery operated impact wrench to remove anod. No need to brace and comes off easy.
Good grief. That is one stuck anode. Good vid.
How old was this heater? Mine is 2 1/2 yrs. I'm wondering if I should have the anode replaced.
Can't hurt to inspect it and if it's ok at least it will be looser when you need to change it for real
Thanks for the idea of the cheater bar. I had pipe wood working clamps that fit over my breaker bar. it worked like a champ.
Thanks so much for the tip. It worked for us.
Brilliant!
Kudos. Great idea.
doesnt wirk and who has this stuff
Thanks for the video! Strap tie and five foot cheater bar worked like a charm!
So maybe you will have an idea on how to get the bottom element out. The calcium buildup on the bottom element is so bad that it has opened the element too wide to get out. What should I do.
The first water heater I had was the kind that just has one U and i would take them out every four months and clean the calcium off and put it back in or if the calcium built up too much it would just break. But my new heater the element is twice as long and is bent over. So the calcium has caused the element to open up bigger than the hole.
Use a thin, rigid rod like a screwdriver to bend (temporarily, unfortunately wont hold but addressed at end) tip of bent back portion of element just enough to align with port. Stick aligning rod through tip of bent back portion and finangle aligning rod between 2 sides of initial portion of element provides a leverage point to bend just enough. After making sure tip is pulled back and jammed into port should be able to use head of element to really pull hard while shifting up/down or left/right and that baby will pull out of there while "aligning" an inch or so at a time and scraping through tons of lime! Very satisfying!
@@jakeshedivy4203 and risk messing up the threads and destroying my very expensive water heater.
@@thecynic807 well do you want a water heater that doesn't work or do you want to cut off your element and leave that sitting in the bottom of your water heater to corrode and tarnish your water? Actually you won't mess up the threads because they're tapered and you will only be impacting the absolute bottom thread and a NPT thread is a very strong thread. I literally just overhauled my own water heater and it threaded back in like butter. Plus the material that rod is made out of is by definition nowhere near as rigid as the tank threads. That's what makes it a more efficient resistance heat source, let alone the fact that it's a corroded rod.
Dude you deserve an award. This was a lifesaver today!
It's about 30 inches from the top of my water heater to the ceiling. Did you say you had a 30 inch anode rod? Should I buy a 30 inch anode rod or shorter?
timmyt1232 there really aren't shorter anodes, you can buy a segmented anode or saw off the excess as in the video.
I've heard that when the anode is gone like that, and if you put a new anode in. Your water heater will start leaking or fail soon afterwards. Did your water heater fail a few months after replacing the anode?
with an anode that corroded, that tank is already a goner.
@006pup That's how long it should last until you replace anode rod again. Rule of thumb is : replace every 2-3 years if you have water softener in the house and replace every 8-9 years without water softener.
Thank you! Your method worked well for me.
I stripped mine so bad it'll never come out.
works! Thank you!
You saved me!
No TPRV extension?
Won't the links in the segmented rod corrode quicker than the rod itself?
Thank you for your reply.
Neil Williams I don't think so because it's steel. But then that makes me wonder why don't they make the tank out of steel. Haha. Who knows.
but the tank is made of steel!!. thats why the anode is there.
No
I cant easily pull out the loose anode
Philip Dove - it can be tough to get the old rod out and especially if it’s very old and had been in place for a long time. I just did one that had a lot of calcium buildup and getting the first 24 inches out was fairly tough. I just had to jam it up and down continuously lowering the rod down into the water to allow the rod to be cleansed. I even had to cut the rod into 4 pieces due to the height restriction from the ceiling. This was easily accomplished with a recip saw. Make sure you use vise grip clamps to ensure the rod doesn’t fall into the tank!!
DeWalt 20 volt impact
Good video. How old was your tank at the time you changed the rod?
legalsolutions07 7 years of use 11 years since purchase
Thank you. I just put in a new water heater and I'm looking to replace the rods every 3-4 years.
@@legalsolutions07 If you don't have water softener it's way too often. Usually 8-9 years will do. When done with this frequency your tank should last about 40 years. Unless there's a war or massive earthquake.....
could the threads on the tank have been messed up as you were putting so much force to get it out?
No
Thank you for the great tip! I had the stuff on hand and it worked perfectly for me.
Use an impact wrench.
It's plumbers' best kept secret.
You should have used an impact wrench to remove that. Only $40 at Walmart.
Looks like you can also use a cheater bar between the 2 water lines (if thick steel tubes protrude enough) to counter rotate against turning on the anode rod, in effect using 2 cheater bars. Also as you answered on a comment segmented anodes are available for short clearances above the water heater. Nice video.
Good idea!
In other videos,I seldom see earthquake straps. WHY????
I'll see IF my tank tries to turn when trying to remove the anode.
Maybe my straps will hold the tank from turning.
I won't drain the tank all of the way B-4 I attempt anode removal.
I may drain the tank after completion.
Thanks!
Not everyone lives near a fault line.
You should consider completely removing this video because suggesting people use muriatic acid (causes serious problems when mixed incorrectly with water) and probably any of the other various loosener fluids you suggested is not only careless... it is just plain irresponsible. I bet if someone used most of those fluids they would almost surely contaminate their water supply and just might accidentally kill themselves or someone else. Seriously!!! read this about muriatic acid "Never pour water into acid. ... Diluting acid in water can produce heat and may cause boiling and spattering if mixed too fast." Please remove this video!
LISTEN, HE SAID USE AT YOUR OWN RISK( DO NOT REPLY)
You are experiencing all of this needless difficulty because the water heater was designed and built by an American company. Everything, and I mean everything, designed by American companies is garbage and becomes a needless hasle. We never go through this with my house in Germany. Heck, our gutters don't even clog!
Wrong. I've owned several German cars and a Bosch dishwasher. They were constantly needing expensive repairs. I had a BMW with catastrophic engine failure at 33,000 miles. Bosch dishwasher was junk, maybe it saved water but the one thing it didn't do was clean dishes.