Kathy,
I replaced the anode in my 2005 24 rear bath about 7 months ago, the rig is less than two years old and it was about 50% gone. It took a 1 1/16" socket and a four foot breaker bar to get it loose.
Here is what Suburban says about it.
http://tinyurl.com/uhsc9
Question 4
Are all water heaters equipped with an Anode Rod? What is its function? When should it be changed?
Answer:
Only Suburban water heaters feature an anode rod. The anode equalizes aggressive water action, providing cathodic protection for the tank. It is a very important factor in tank life and should only be removed for inspection, draining or replacement. It is removeable using a 1-1/16" socket.
All Suburban water heaters are protected by a magnesium or aluminum anode to prolong the life of the tank. Under normal use, the anode rod will deteriorate. Because of this, we recommend it be replaced annually or when consumption or weight loss of the rod is greater than 75%. Note: Water with high levels of iron and/or sulfate will increase the rate of deterioration. To extend anode life, drain water from tank whenever the RV is not being used. Avoid any extended time of non-use with water in the tank.
Also here's a link to a previous posting on this very subject.
http://www.bornfreervclub.org/bulletin_ ... highlight=
Steve
where is the pink stuff?
Moderator: bfadmin
-
Mike Jean Bandfield
- Posts: 513
- Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2005 3:43 pm
The only way to tell for sure is to remove the rod and inspect it once a year. As long as there is alloy remaining the rod is still viable. Our last rig had a Suburban and over the 12 years we owned it I learned that I needed to replace the rod every 3rd year. During this time the tank remained empty over 50% of the time while it was in storage.
Replacing the rod was a real knuckle busting experience due to a very tight access location. One complication is the rod's head is only sits up about an 1/8". The mfrs could make the job a lot easier if they would make the hex head deeper to allow the socket to get a more positive grip.
Mike
Replacing the rod was a real knuckle busting experience due to a very tight access location. One complication is the rod's head is only sits up about an 1/8". The mfrs could make the job a lot easier if they would make the hex head deeper to allow the socket to get a more positive grip.
Mike
Mike & Jean
2005 26' RSS Diesel
2005 26' RSS Diesel
-
Dave&JanPotter
Some additional musings on sacrificial anodes.
1) They tend to corrode in place over time. More frequent checking usually means less torque needed to remove the beast.
2) It is a good thing that they deteriorate. It means your tank is not being attacked (as much). If your anode is not corroding, you have a problem somewhere else in the system....or soon will have.
3) The use of teflon tape to seal the anode to the tank can also increase the resistance between the anode and the tank, depending upon how generous you are with the tape. That is a bad thing. Ideally, you want zero electrical resistance between the anode and the material it is protecting. I always check mine with an ohmmeter when I reinstall the anode.
1) They tend to corrode in place over time. More frequent checking usually means less torque needed to remove the beast.
2) It is a good thing that they deteriorate. It means your tank is not being attacked (as much). If your anode is not corroding, you have a problem somewhere else in the system....or soon will have.
3) The use of teflon tape to seal the anode to the tank can also increase the resistance between the anode and the tank, depending upon how generous you are with the tape. That is a bad thing. Ideally, you want zero electrical resistance between the anode and the material it is protecting. I always check mine with an ohmmeter when I reinstall the anode.
-
SteveR
Just finished our first ever full winterization of any RV. We had a heck of a time getting the anode out of the water heater but it eventually broke free and we were on our way with the process.
The valve layout is great and makes the job so much easier. We only screwed up one valve setting and lost about a gallon of antifreeze before we realize what was happening. I forgot to close the drain valves on the hot and cold water lines for the water heater. Otherwise it was very quick and well designed system.
The next time will go much faster I am sure. We are already thinking about our first real trip down to St. George sometime in the next couple of months.
The valve layout is great and makes the job so much easier. We only screwed up one valve setting and lost about a gallon of antifreeze before we realize what was happening. I forgot to close the drain valves on the hot and cold water lines for the water heater. Otherwise it was very quick and well designed system.
The next time will go much faster I am sure. We are already thinking about our first real trip down to St. George sometime in the next couple of months.
-
Mike Jean Bandfield
- Posts: 513
- Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2005 3:43 pm
Steve, why did you remove the anode? I haven't seen the President's configuration but you probably don't need to remove it to winterize.SteveR wrote:Just finished our first ever full winterization of any RV. We had a heck of a time getting the anode out of the water heater but it eventually broke free and we were on our way with the process.
If your configuration is typical, open the drain valves near the water heater and turn on a faucet or open the pressure relief valve on the wh. The faucet or relief valve will allow air into the top of wh as the water drains out. See pics...
Mike
- Attachments
-
- If the water is hot turn off pump and release system pressure before opening relief valve.
- Open Relief Valve.jpg (51.68 KiB) Viewed 5082 times
-
- Valves shown in the drain position.
- WaterHeater.jpg (50.75 KiB) Viewed 5082 times
-
- After draining the system close the drain valves and set the WH valves in this configuration before pumping the pink stuff thru the lines.
- Bypass WH Configuration.jpg (67.57 KiB) Viewed 5082 times
Mike & Jean
2005 26' RSS Diesel
2005 26' RSS Diesel
-
SteveR
Mike,
You are correct, I did not need to remove the anode but since I had no idea what might have been in the heater I took it out to drain and clean out any crude that might be there. Turns out the water used by the previous owner much have been very hard and a lot of crystals and other stuff came out when i drained it.
The plumbing configuration in the President appears to be the same as in your rig with the drain valves and bypass lines. We actually lost a gallon of antifreeze through the hot water heater drain lines before we realized we had forgotten to close them. It is a great system.
You are correct, I did not need to remove the anode but since I had no idea what might have been in the heater I took it out to drain and clean out any crude that might be there. Turns out the water used by the previous owner much have been very hard and a lot of crystals and other stuff came out when i drained it.
The plumbing configuration in the President appears to be the same as in your rig with the drain valves and bypass lines. We actually lost a gallon of antifreeze through the hot water heater drain lines before we realized we had forgotten to close them. It is a great system.