Your recent repair? 2013 - 2020

[Music Lover]

I replaced our WH a few years back. The smell came in a couple of weeks. I never had that smell before. I treated the water to kill the Iron Rust bacteria, and within another 3 weeks we had that smell again. Rheem recommended a special resistive anode. That worked for about 5-6 weeks before the smell came back. I then got a powered anode. several years later, still going strong.

In our case, the smell came from iron rust bacteria. Perfectly harmless to humans. They feed and multiply on the anode material. The old tank was about 27 years old and had no anode! The powered anodes are not cheap. A couple hun IIRC. but well worth it. (pardon the pun).

This is the one I'm getting...$135 Canadian, $104 in the US.:

https://www.amazon.com/Corro-Protec...=1548342716&sr=8-3&keywords=powered+anode+rod

 

[samclem]

This is the one I'm getting...$135 Canadian, $104 in the US.:

https://www.amazon.com/Corro-Protec...=1548342716&sr=8-3&keywords=powered+anode+rod

That's the one I didn't care for very much. If you have an electric water heater (with its thicker insulation), you may find that the distance between the threads on the anode and the metal hex top isn't long enough (you can't tighten the unit using the plastic hex portion that is higher up, it is just for show). The hole in the top of the sheet metal WH housing was too small to allow a standard socket to get in there and drive the anode down farther. The other unit I ended up buying didn't have this problem (it came with an extension that accommodated the thicker insulation on these electric water heaters). The other small difference was that, on the second unit I bought, the hex nut on top was the same standard size as the hex nut on the stock anode rod. The Corro-Protec hex top was a non-standard size. Not a big deal if you have a set of sockets that include the right size for both. Functionally, I couldn't say that one is better than the other.

Good luck. For less than $100, if it does the trick and the water heater lasts a long time, I'll be very happy.

 

[CRLLS]

I looked at the Corro-Protect when I bought mine. I can't remember exactly why I chose the one I did. Maybe at the time I felt the tank protection would be a bit better being the full height of the tank. Below is the one I got. It has an LED that indicates the wall wart is still functioning. The LED itself is not worth the extra $100 IMO.

If the Corro-Protect works to eliminate the odor then all the best. Only time will tell how well it works as an anode to protect the tank itself. Like I said earlier, the previous HW tank had NO anode and no odor issues.

Powered anode/water heaters with hex anodes

 

[samclem]

I hope that new outlet is on a GFCI protected circuit. Oh, and you have the outlet upside down. Typically the ground lead is toward the bottom. (my preference)

Lots of folks (and some codes) now want the ground on top. The thinking is, if something thin drops down there by gravity and gets between the plug and the receptacle, it's safer if it makes contact with the ground lug rather than bridging only between the hot and neutral.
It still looks "upside down" to me, too.

 

[Music Lover]

That's the one I didn't care for very much. If you have an electric water heater (with its thicker insulation), you may find that the distance between the threads on the anode and the metal hex top isn't long enough (you can't tighten the unit using the plastic hex portion that is higher up, it is just for show). The hole in the top of the sheet metal WH housing was too small to allow a standard socket to get in there and drive the anode down farther. The other unit I ended up buying didn't have this problem (it came with an extension that accommodated the thicker insulation on these electric water heaters). The other small difference was that the hex nut on top was the same standard size as the hex nut on the stock anode rod--not a big deal if you have a set of sockets that include the right size for both. Functionally, I couldn't say that one is better than the other.

Good luck. For less than $100, if it does the trick and the water heater lasts a long time, I'll be very happy.

I'll do more investigating before committing. I did poke a wire through the insulation and it's close to 3" (guessing) to the top of the anode, but I do have access to deep enough sockets.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

I replaced our WH a few years back. The smell came in a couple of weeks. I never had that smell before. I treated the water to kill the Iron Rust bacteria, and within another 3 weeks we had that smell again. Rheem recommended a special resistive anode. That worked for about 5-6 weeks before the smell came back. I then got a powered anode. several years later, still going strong.

In our case, the smell came from iron rust bacteria. Perfectly harmless to humans. They feed and multiply on the anode material. The old tank was about 27 years old and had no anode! The powered anodes are not cheap. A couple hun IIRC. but well worth it. (pardon the pun).

Those bacteria are pretty hard to defeat -- they often thrive in a well with hard, iron-rich water. Check the inside of your toilet tank. Is it lined with a slimy, rusty coating?

We finally got most of the little beasties out of our water system with an iron filter. They're surely in our well yet, but not so much in our plumbing.

 

[CRLLS]

I do know of the various arguments for both up or down. TMK, the NEC does not specify one way or the other. My preference is ground down as a power cord normally drapes down and its weight could work the plug out leaving the ground the last connection to be disconnected. It is only a preference. Too bad there is no tongue-in-cheek emoji because my comment was meant as a friendly poke,

But I was serious about the GFCI in case you were wondering. I do know of one child who was shocked when he missed the bowl peeing. Fortunately he was OK afterwards.

 

[samclem]

I looked at the Corro-Protect when I bought mine. I can't remember exactly why I chose the one I did. Maybe at the time I felt the tank protection would be a bit better being the full height of the tank. Below is the one I got. It has an LED that indicates the wall wart is still functioning. The LED itself is not worth the extra $100 IMO.

I was tempted by that one, the long dangling anode wire looked like it might give better protection to lower parts of the tank. I couldn't find any literature or studies to make an informed decision, so I went with the cheaper, stubby one for half the price. The one I got does have a "power going to the unit" LED, and does have enough circuitry inside to make it plausible that it is actually doing the assessment and monitoring/feedback that they claim it does

If the Corro-Protect works to eliminate the odor then all the best. Only time will tell how well it works as an anode to protect the tank itself. Like I said earlier, the previous HW tank had NO anode and no odor issues.

It almost certainly had one at one time. Removing the magnesium anode rod and replacing it with an aluminum one is a common fix for stinky water. If that doesn't work, the plumber may remove the anode rod entirely--and the stinky water stops. It can work fine until the tank rusts through, which can be a long or short interval depending on a lot of factors. If the client calls the plumber back to replace the now-leaky water heater, it is a win-win for the plumber.

 

[samclem]

I'll do more investigating before committing. I did poke a wire through the insulation and it's close to 3" (guessing) to the top of the anode, but I do have access to deep enough sockets.

You may want to pry off the plastic cap over the anode rod and see if a socket of the right size will fit through the hole. The Corro-Protec hex head pretty much fills the hole, I don't think even a thin wall socket would have fit.

If you want the Corro-Protec unit, at the worst you could get some tin snips and make the sheet metal hole bigger. Getting the different active anode was easier for me, and I was worried about the warranty implications if I "modified" the water heater.

 

[CRLLS]

It surely had one when new. All I can say is that there was no anode in it when I replaced the tank. It was about 27 yrs old when I replaced it on general principles due to age. we had owned it for 10 years at that time and it had no anode for at least that time.

And yes the toilet tanks get that brown/blackish slime. I clean them out periodically. Some seem to grow it faster than others. There is no smell from the cold tap water or hot water now. Even if I heat up the cold water, there is no smell.

We do have an RO filter for all our drinking water.

 

[Music Lover]

You may want to pry off the plastic cap over the anode rod and see if a socket of the right size will fit through the hole. The Corro-Protec hex head pretty much fills the hole, I don't think even a thin wall socket would have fit.

If you want the Corro-Protec unit, at the worst you could get some tin snips and make the sheet metal hole bigger. Getting the different active anode was easier for me, and I was worried about the warranty implications if I "modified" the water heater.

I looked at the link you provided...that model never showed up when I did my original search. The price is good too...$90 US, but their order page only allows US addresses so I sent them an email to see if they will ship to Canada.

 

[Sunset]

I looked at the link you provided...that model never showed up when I did my original search. The price is good too...$90 US, but their order page only allows US addresses so I sent them an email to see if they will ship to Canada.

If they do, be careful of how they ship it.

By mail / postal it arrives.
By USPS/fedex they sometimes charge a broker fee for the customs part, over $50 fee.

Let us know if this has changed as I'd like to know too.

 

[Music Lover]

If they do, be careful of how they ship it.

By mail / postal it arrives.
By USPS/fedex they sometimes charge a broker fee for the customs part, over $50 fee.

Let us know if this has changed as I'd like to know too.

I'll be in Florida for all of February, so may it might be easier/cheaper to have it shipped to where I'm staying.

 

[samclem]

I'll be in Florida for all of February, so may it might be easier/cheaper to have it shipped to where I'm staying.

On your return flight, make sure you put the anode in your checked bag. It will make for an interesting conversation with the helpful TSA folks. "What's this pointy electric pokey thing? A weapon, or some sort of preverted adult thrill toy? Betty, Jim, come look at this!!"

 

[Music Lover]

On your return flight, make sure you put the anode in your checked bag. It will make for an interesting conversation with the helpful TSA folks. "What's this pointy electric pokey thing? A weapon, or some sort of preverted adult thrill toy? Betty, Jim, come look at this!!"

Yeah, I can imagine However, I'm driving so that won't be an issue.

 

[sengsational]

I hope that new outlet is on a GFCI protected circuit. Oh, and you have the outlet upside down. Typically the ground lead is toward the bottom. (my preference)

My entire house is upside down, so this one is installed to match. It's on the bathroom GFCI.

 

[CRLLS]

My entire house is upside down, so this one is installed to match. It's on the bathroom GFCI.

That's good. I never know the level of home maintenance expertise a poster may, or may not have.

 

[travelover]

Up on the roof today. The roof has some tiny leaks that appear as streaks on the siding. It appears that the laminated shingles were installed with a marginal offset between rows of shingles. I ran a chalk line down the roof in line with the siding streak and lifted every shingle end near the chalk line to seal the nail heads and shingle ends. Hopefully that will do it.

 

[Helena]

.

Lightning storm fried my HVAC circuit board.

New circuit board installed cost almost $600.

.

 

[homestead]

.

Lightning storm fried my HVAC circuit board.
New circuit board installed cost almost $600.

.

Was there a surge protector on the circuit?

 

[Helena]

Was there a surge protector on the circuit?

I've never had a surge protector on an HVAC. Never had this problem until now.

Repairman said I could add a surge protector at the house's central circuit breaker box. Meanwhile, I should turn off HVAC unit during a lightning storm.

My older brother told me when he was a child lightning hit my parent's old farm house. The lightning bolt blew bricks off the chimney, blew a hole down the wall and across the kitchen floor to the back door.

.

 

[Sunset]

Up on the roof today. The roof has some tiny leaks that appear as streaks on the siding. It appears that the laminated shingles were installed with a marginal offset between rows of shingles. I ran a chalk line down the roof in line with the siding streak and lifted every shingle end near the chalk line to seal the nail heads and shingle ends. Hopefully that will do it.

Strange how the streaks on the siding are under the overhang. Suggesting to me, the leak could possibly be going under the roofing into the attic and running down the plywood underside, or the roof rafters until it hits the top plate of the wall, then dribbling down.

Maybe you want to look in the attic space for water signs ?

 

[travelover]

Strange how the streaks on the siding are under the overhang. Suggesting to me, the leak could possibly be going under the roofing into the attic and running down the plywood underside, or the roof rafters until it hits the top plate of the wall, then dribbling down.

Maybe you want to look in the attic space for water signs ?

Yes, I think that is exactly what is happening. The attic in that far end of the house is very hard to get to, but I eventually want to get in there and see if I can see the origin of the leak. Hopefully I have found and sealed the leak, as I found several strong candidates as I was lifting shingles.

 

[ls99]

Pulling out of the garage, the overhead door traverse noises overrode the Tango music playing in the car. With the windows closed!

Upon return, applied lithium grease to threads, torsion spring coils and traveling wheels. A few ups and downs then a quiet ride of the door.

 

[ncbill]

Bathroom vent fan stopped working.

Opened up the housing, blew away as much dust as possible, soaked the motor in Fluid Film, & fired right up again.

Glad I was able to keep the original 30+ year old motor...I figure it's much better made than anything I could buy currently.

Highly recommend Fluid Film.