On Sun, 26 Jun 2011 14:57:06 -0400, Brooklyn1 <Gravesend1> wrote:
>On Sun, 26 Jun 2011 08:14:24 -0400, James Post >
>wrote:
>
>>On Sun, 26 Jun 2011 00:11:10 -0400, "Ed Pawlowski"
> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>"James Post" > wrote
>>>>
>>>> The water in my hot water heater tastes nasty. Much worse than the
>>>> cold water.
>>>
>>>Very common. This come sup on the home repair newsgroups often. Sometimes
>>>you get a sulfur type odor from a reaction with the anode. If you replace
>>>it with a different material anode, it goes away. It also helps to flush
>>>the bottom of the tank one a month or so.
>>
>>I never heard that about the heating element. How would I know what
>>material it's made of? Does it commonly give that information on the
>>package it comes in? I've certainly never noticed. To flush the bottom
>>of my water heater out, I'd have to hook a hose to the bottom, stretch
>>it out my back door and drain the tank. It's a pain in the ass when I
>>have to do it to change the element and I'm sure not doing it once a
>>month. I've made the decision to go to a On Demand type electric water
>>heater when this tank gives out. That will eliminate the problem of
>>any taste difference by removing the tank from the equation.
>
>The anode is not the heating element. The anode is a "sacrificial"
>metal rod (usually magnesium) that's inserted into the tank so it will
>corrode from electrolytic action instead of the element and other
>parts.
>
>http://www.plumbingstore.com/sacrificial_rods.html
Very interesting. The only way to see into my water heater is to drain
the entire tank, remove the heating element and look into it by
laying on the floor in front of the tank. I've looked in it before and
I've never seen what you describe. Perhaps I don't have one. I'm not a
plumber, that's for sure, and at $75 an hour, I can't afford to have
one come and look for that. I'll just wait until this tank expires and
get the On Demand electric water heater. I live by myself, so it's not
a major expense in my home. I'm looking forward to getting the On
Demand heater. As little hot water as I use, I think it will lower my
electric costs.