Water Heater Problems

Making it Easy to Avoid Water Heater Problems A plumber loves water heater problems. It is one of his most common call outs and one of his more lucrative jobs as the average price for repairing a leaking water heater can run up to $1000. A water heater that is leaking is the most common reason people will replace it. Once a tank has started to leak, it is not worth the cost to repair it. Knowing a little about water heaters may help you to extend the life of yours. A water heater in basic terms is a steel tank which has vitreous glass on the inside lining to prevent rust. In reality, the seal may weaken and expose the steel tank to the water which will lead to rusting. Some of the better manufacturers will place an anode rode inside of the tank to help.

So how does this anode rod help? This rod works by protecting any of the exposed steel of the tank from electrolysis effects. The effects of electrolysis happen when dissimilar types of metal come into contact with one another while in the water.

From any of those metals in the water, whichever one happens to react most will be the metal which will corrode first.

The anode rod placed inside of the water heater tank will be made of magnesium or more commonly aluminium. Because magnesium and aluminium is more reactive than the metal the tank is made from, the rod will corrode first. So this is how the rod will protect the inside of the tank from corrosion.

One thing to bear in mind is that the anode rod will need to be replaced as they do wear out. This is important because if the rod wears out, then the water will corrode the inside of the tank instead.

All water heaters that are manufactured now come with an anode rod inside. The best tank to have is the ones which have the anode rod with a visible hex head. This will allow you to easily check the state of the rod at regular intervals and replace when needed.

Another way to avoid common problems is to drain the water tank once every 12 months. Different water tanks will have different instructions but you can usually do an internet search for instructions specific to your water heater or simply get in touch with the manufacturer and ask for advice.

And if you are still unsure, ask a plumber to do it for you. It will be cheaper than calling a plumber out for a leaking water tank.