Annode Rod replacement

Ray LeTourneau · Oct 31, 2007

It's been a little over a year so I guess I should replace the annode rod. Has anyone done their own? Are there various lengths available at Home Depot and how long is the original? I havent removed it yet but I'm assuming it's not it's original length. Thanks for any help.

ChopperBill · Nov 1, 2007

Ray, I have had mine out several times when winterizing and found it pretty grungy but still has some use. I have an Atwood heater in our truck camper and they don't have the rod and it always looks clean. When I take out the Bighorn rod lots of white granule's are there. Both are aluminum tanks so I don't know what is up the the anode rod theory. I would at least pull yours once in a while to get the gook out.

tdharley · Nov 1, 2007

Hi Ray

I take mine out to winterize the rig every year.

The idea of the rod is that the minerals in the water will attack and eat away the magnesium or aluminum that is wrapped around a steel core wire instead of the tank. As long as there is material on the rod it is still good.

I have not replaced mine yet, but will probably do it next year. The are cheap enough at CW.

PS You need a 1-1/16" socket.

Pulltab · Nov 1, 2007

Its a good idea to flush the tank with vinegar at least once a year to try and keep the smell out. When I had the tank keater I would drain the tank (after shutting off the water to tank) and pour in 3 gallons of white vinegar and finish filling with water, turn on the heater and let it do a full cycle, then shut the water back off and drain again (don't use your electric for this). Flush tank and your ready to go. Some real nasty stuff starts growing in the tank after a while, in nasty I don't mean germ type nasty but coagulating minerals, first time I emptied ours I had taken it out to get to the furnace (previous RV) so all I had to do was tip it down to drain and some clear jello looking nasty crap came out! From that point on I made it a habit to clean regular. Now we have a tankless heater and it is not a worry, but before............aweeeeeeuuuuu

Uncle Rog · Nov 1, 2007

I replaced ours this spring when the out side shower was added. It did not look as good as the TDH picture but it was still working. Chopper brought up a good point, my buddy has a Lazy Daze with an Atwood heater, no anode?

jpmorgan37 · Nov 1, 2007

Chopper is correct and if you go the the Atwood web site they tell you not to put in the Anode. The materials used in the construction of the Atwood are different than the Suburban and the Anode will have a detrimental effect on the water tank. The tank in the Atwood is aluminum and it is the anode for the water heater. There are companies that make a rod for the Atwood, but they advise against using it.

nscaler2 · Nov 1, 2007

Threads too tight

I replaced ours this spring when sterilizing the sytem. It was a real bear to remove. I had to have a 2ft cheater bar on the socket to get it to come out. Someone at Suburban had installed it WAT TOO TIGHT. When I installed the new one it was hard to get to seat correctly because they had galled the treads in the heater. Again it took plumbers tape and the 2ft bar to get it tight enough to keep from leaking. This fall I took it out again, and drained the system for the winter. (We store it inside where winterization is not required). At that time I rented a 3/4NPT tap and retapped the threads (removing the galled area). Hopefully this will make installtion of a new one next spring go better.

Forrest Fetherolf · Nov 1, 2007

Ray LeTourneau said:
It's been a little over a year so I guess I should replace the annode rod. Has anyone done their own? Are there various lengths available at Home Depot and how long is the original? I havent removed it yet but I'm assuming it's not it's original length. Thanks for any help.

The anode rod on my 3600RL is between 9" to 10" long. Some of the tip may have been eaten off by the minerals.

Anode rod for Suburban - $10.79 @ PPL online.

Forrest

Ray LeTourneau · Nov 1, 2007

I just finished replacing the anode rod. Yes it was snug. Local RV dealer had them at $10.39. Iused a small wire brush to clean out the internal threads but was a bit concerned over the particulate settled in the bottom of the tank. I could stick my finger in the hole and feel quite a bit. I plan on getting a wet-vac and reduce the suction end down to fit it in the hole and get out what I can, I don't want to remove the heater to try and get it out. Otherwise it was an easy job. Thanks for the replys.

tdharley · Nov 1, 2007

CW sells a curved hose doohickey thing to flush out the tank. I made one out of 3/8" copper tubing. Works fine.

jbeletti · Nov 1, 2007

The doohickey

Here's a pic of the doohickey:

Camping World did not have an image of it so I grabbed it from an eBay ad. Here's the CW link to the item.

It's also good for filling up water balloons. Used mine at our block party this summer

Jim

Lambchop · Nov 2, 2007

Ray,
I made my own out of a piece of 3/8 copper tubing. I fitted it with some rubber hose & fastened it to my garden hose. Works great & no cost! I clean out my tank about twice a year. You should see the crap that comes out of there.

Roy (Lambchop)
Future Big Horn owner None

Ray LeTourneau · Nov 2, 2007

OK! It looks like this do-hickey thing sprays water into the anode hole (or drain hole) and should keep contaminants suspended so they can flow out the hole while you squirt? I can make one of those easy enough. COOL!

Ray LeTourneau · Nov 3, 2007

OK, I went back in with a home made version of the cleaning tool. I used 1/4 copper tubing with a garden hose adapter. I can't believe the crap that came out of the tank. The procedure. Drain the tank, insert the tool all the way into the tank with the curve pointing down. With the hose turned on, slowly draw the tube out of the hole. Repeat this until the junk stops coming out. I can't believe after only a year of use, how much junk was in the tank.

What's even more scary is I've used a carbon filter for every drop of water that I've put through the system. Does a water softener reduce or eliminate this junk? If so, thiat may be our next purchase. Later ya'll!

BJ'sDad · Nov 3, 2007

I couldn't believe how much I got out of mine after approx 28 days of camping between July when I bought it and the Southeast Rally which was probably the last time I'll use it till spring.

I made up a homemade rig, but think for next year I'm going to make one a little longer so I know I got all the way to the back of the tank, I think I might have made mine an inch or two too short.

Lambchop · Nov 3, 2007

Just a note:

A charcoal filter does more for water taste, like chlorine & smells. Use a white filter to get most of the minerals out.

Works for me..........Less cleaning & build up of crap.

This year I will use TWO filters. One Charcoal & one white filter together....that way I can take care of two problems.

Lambchop
Future Big Horn owner!None

Goldenwingers · Nov 3, 2007

Not sure but I think some of what you are washing out of the hot water heater is the remains of the anode rod that has been attacked by the corrosion. If I am right no filter will stop it completely.

Don

Ray LeTourneau · Nov 4, 2007

Goldenwingers said:
Not sure but I think some of what you are washing out of the hot water heater is the remains of the anode rod that has been attacked by the corrosion. If I am right no filter will stop it completely.

Don

Surprisingly the original anode rod was still full length but it did have a good amount of junk clinging to it and a lot of deterioration to it. I'm pretty sure the stuff that came out of the tank was the calcium and lime from the bottom of the tank. Lots of good size chunks probably a good cup full. I think the best solution is a softener or the water king WK-RV at www.waterkingusa.com but it's pricey.

katkens · Nov 4, 2007

Lambchop said:
Just a note:

A charcoal filter does more for water taste, like chlorine & smells. Use a white filter to get most of the minerals out.

Works for me..........Less cleaning & build up of crap.

This year I will use TWO filters. One Charcoal & one white filter together....that way I can take care of two problems.

Lambchop
Future Big Horn owner!None

I use the dual filter system and I'm quite pleased so far and also ,filter the water going into the fresh water tank. It is really surprising how much gunk the first filter catches from so called treated water.

I just drained the water tank and and only had a small amount of particles in the bottom. The anode rod had very little deterioration , though quite white speckled. I truly think keeping the patricles ,etc. out of the water system is a plus and know my water tastes the same no matter where we are.....Ken

jpmorgan37 · Nov 8, 2007

The question of Anode Rods has been pretty well covered, but I thought that I would post this from the Suburban web site:

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.

Annode Rod replacement

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