Gale Hawkins
Super Member
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2009
- Messages
- 8,121
- Location
- Murray, KY
- Tractor
- 1948 Allis Chambers Model B 1976 265 MF / 1983 JD 310B Backhoe / 1966 Ford 3000 Diesel / 1980 3600 Diesel
Like many rural living folks we have a water well and it is hard on electric hot water heaters.
We finally got around to replacing the anode rod in our 10 year old 6 year rated 80 gallon Whirlpool electric this week.
Lowes still sells the same model number 10 years later for the same price of $457 today.
What got my attention was there was NO bare steel anode rod showing and actually still was well coated with aluminum from to to bottom.
When I got to reading about the difference I learned I had extended its life perhaps by going to the stainless steel low density heating elements (Sand Hog life time) 4500 watt elements which meant I removed the copper coated elements.
When copper and steel are in the same electrical environment the presents of copper speeds up the rusting out of the steel in the hot water tank and fittings but stainless steel does not increase the rate of tank rusting.
It was after using the hot water heater for a few years I learned about the Sand Hogs knowing the copper elements are short lived in our well water so I swapped them out before the copper ones failed.
I mean why not if the Sand Hogs were going to last forever.
Since after 10 years the 6 year rated hot water tank aluminum anode was reduced but still by no more than 70% it is my view removing the copper from the system (pipes are plastic) by replacing the copper coated heating elements reduced the rate of rusting of the tank perhaps which in turn caused less need of aluminum to help protect the tank from rusting.
Now for the extra $350 for the same 80 gallon steel tank one does get a computerize control system and thicker insulation along with the stainless heating elements and perhaps the second anode rod. The ones at Lowes this week had the specs of the two 80 gallon hot water heaters clearly stated if one is interested in the specifics.
I read a lot on Goggle about these factors and dissimilar metals and how some metals are more 'noble' than others, etc so just Goggle if you are one of the three interested in the life of electric hot water heaters.
We finally got around to replacing the anode rod in our 10 year old 6 year rated 80 gallon Whirlpool electric this week.
Lowes still sells the same model number 10 years later for the same price of $457 today.
What got my attention was there was NO bare steel anode rod showing and actually still was well coated with aluminum from to to bottom.
When I got to reading about the difference I learned I had extended its life perhaps by going to the stainless steel low density heating elements (Sand Hog life time) 4500 watt elements which meant I removed the copper coated elements.
When copper and steel are in the same electrical environment the presents of copper speeds up the rusting out of the steel in the hot water tank and fittings but stainless steel does not increase the rate of tank rusting.
It was after using the hot water heater for a few years I learned about the Sand Hogs knowing the copper elements are short lived in our well water so I swapped them out before the copper ones failed.
I mean why not if the Sand Hogs were going to last forever.
Since after 10 years the 6 year rated hot water tank aluminum anode was reduced but still by no more than 70% it is my view removing the copper from the system (pipes are plastic) by replacing the copper coated heating elements reduced the rate of rusting of the tank perhaps which in turn caused less need of aluminum to help protect the tank from rusting.
Now for the extra $350 for the same 80 gallon steel tank one does get a computerize control system and thicker insulation along with the stainless heating elements and perhaps the second anode rod. The ones at Lowes this week had the specs of the two 80 gallon hot water heaters clearly stated if one is interested in the specifics.
I read a lot on Goggle about these factors and dissimilar metals and how some metals are more 'noble' than others, etc so just Goggle if you are one of the three interested in the life of electric hot water heaters.
