3 replies to this topic

[w4drr]

While on the subject of hot water tanks, here is another topic: Anode rods.
There seems to be only two major manufacturers of RV water heaters; Atwood and Suburban. There also seems to be two schools of thought: 1. Make the tank out of steel and use an anode rod to prevent corrosion (Suburban), 2. Make the tank out of aluminum, and allow the lining of the tank to be the anode, and become sacrificial (Atwood). As for us, we have the Atwood, and I really don't feel comfortable with the idea of the lining of the tank slowly dissolving away, and someday springing a leak, no doubt while camping. Also, given the replacement costs of these tanks, it would be well worth the investment to keep them from corroding into nothingness. So while shopping at our almost-local CampingWorld Friday, I picked up an aftermarket (Camco) anode rod for our Atwood water heater, and installed it yesterday. In the case of the Atwood, you simply remove the plastic drain plug, and thread the anode rod in. A little teflon tape, pipe dope, or something similar will be required to keep it from leaking and also from seizing. Since the rod is sacrificial, and corrodes away, it should be replaced every year or two. The frequency of replacement has a lot to do with the water it has been in contact with. I recall in our Pop-up days, we had a Suburban water heater, and I was replacing the rod annually.
And a little side-note for those chemical engineer wannabees among us. The anode rod needs to be made out of a metal more active than the metal it is protecting. In the case of the Suburban, which is steel, aluminum does the job. With the Atwood, which has an aluminum lining, Magnesium is required. I guess if Atwood decides to start lining their tanks with Magnesium, we will be out of luck.

Bob

[Crawfish]

Sounds like some good advise Bob. I think the next time I am at Camping World I will pick one up.


Leon

[Joe/GA]

Yikes! I have the Attwood. Any idea how long it takes before it starts to leak? I better get an anode rod for mine.

[w4drr]

Joe/GA, on Sep 12 2009, 08:27 AM, said:

Yikes! I have the Attwood. Any idea how long it takes before it starts to leak? I better get an anode rod for mine.

I'm sure Atwood designed the tank to last at least until the warranty runs out. Beyond that, it depends on the water it has been in contact with, and for how long. If you drain your tank between camping trips, I would suspect it would probably never be a problem, but the price of an anode rod every year or two isn't much compared to the price of a new tank.

Bob