Does Your Water Heater’s Anode Rod Need to Replaced? A Water Heater Maintenance Tip for Germantown and Montgomery County Home Owners.

So, you ask yourself, “What the hey is an anode rod?”

Well, nothing more or less than a key component of your Germantown storage tank water heater, especially when it comes to the unit’s longevity.

Think about it like this: you hot water heater is essentially a steel tank that remains full of water all the time, which makes rust and corrosion its number one enemy. If your water heater had no defense against these powerful natural forces, then you’d be lucky to get a few years out of the appliance. Instead, water heaters are specially designed to protect the tank and withstand the forces of corrosion with the inclusion, thereby giving them an average life expectancy of 10 – 15 years.

Sometimes called the sacrificial rod, the anode rod uses the process of electrolysis (think back to high school chemistry for a second) to attract corrosive elements to itself vs. the inside walls of the storage tank.

The rod itself is actually a steel wire wrapped in another metal—usually zinc, magnesium, or aluminum—that is more “reactive” than the steel of the tank walls.

Your system’s anode rod should actually be replaced about every 4 years. If you have a water softener installed, the rod will likely need to be replaced more frequently than that.  And if you start noticing a brown tint to your hot water supply, contact us right away, as that could stem anode rod rusting.

Germantown Water Heater Inspection

Here’s something else to consider.  With an annual water heater inspection from Your 1 Plumber, the anode rod is just one of things we’ll inspect to make sure your system is operating as reliably and safely as possible.