Learned my water heater anode rod was toast after 3 years, not 6 like I thought

I was poking around in my basement last weekend, checking the water heater for a weird noise, and decided to pull the anode rod. Thought it would be fine since it's only 3 years old, but it was basically a wire hanger with some rusty chunks. Found out from a plumbing forum that city water in Austin eats through them way faster because of the high sediment and chlorine. Has anyone else had their anode rod fail way earlier than expected?

3 comments

3 Comments

jennys721mo ago

Wait, you're supposed to flush those every year?!

ross.kevin1mo ago

Hold on, I wouldn't be so sure that's just a city water problem. A lot of times people forget to flush their tank yearly, and that sediment buildup alone can kill an anode rod way faster than any chemical in the water. Maybe check your maintenance routine before blaming the city supply.

veram9923d ago

My 2019 Rheem had the anode rod disintegrate after just 14 months (yeah, I know, new tanks can have bad ones too). Did you check if your anode rod is aluminum or magnesium? Around here, the city uses chloramine instead of chlorine for disinfection, and I've read that can eat through aluminum rods way faster than the old-style ones. What's your water treatment plant using, do you know?