Do RV water heaters have anode rods?
Suburban RV water heaters have a short metal rod called an anode rod that helps protect the water heater from corrosion. As you probably guessed, the anode rod has a pretty short lifespan – usually about one to two years. When it’s almost depleted, it needs to be replaced.
What does anode rod in RV water heater do?
An anode rod is a temporary steel core wire with magnesium, aluminum, or zinc around it. An anode rod exists to protect the metal lining inside of your water heater tank to prevent explosion or corrosion over time.
Are all RV water heater anode rods the same size?
However, these anode rods usually have a standard thread and size (same as the plastic drain plug). You should check with the manufacturer of your water heater; the tank may be lined and it does not even require an anode rod.
Do Dometic water heaters have anodes?
They have anodes all over them because they are made out of aluminum. Outboard motors may be operated in salt water, and all the parts in an outboard are not aluminum. The shafts, bearings, engine parts are steel. That’s where the galvanic corrosion comes from.
Does a Dometic water heater need an anode rod?
The most popular manufacturers of RV water heaters are Atwood (now Dometic) and Suburban. Atwood (Dometic) water heaters are made of light-weight aluminum tanks and do not have an anode rod.
How often should you change the anode in your water heater?
Most water heater manufacturers will recommend inspecting the condition of the sacrificial anode every one (1) to three (3) years and replacing it when it has been consumed more than 50%. This is especially true if you have hard water or use a water softener.
What size socket fits an anode rod?
4 Use a ratchet wrench and 1 1/16-inch deep socket to unscrew the anode rod from the heater.
What is thread size for suburban water heater anode?
The thread size in these water heaters, for the anode, is 3/4 inch NPT, which is a tapered pipe thread.
Why do you need an anode rod in your RV water heater?
An anode rod is a solid metal cylinder that gets screwed into a water heater’s drain plug to prevent the steel water heater tank from rusting inside . They are made from aluminum, magnesium, or zinc, all metals that will “sacrifice” themselves through electrolysis and save the exposed steel water heater tank from a similar fate.
What does the anode rod in my water heater do?
The anode rod is a piece designed to slow down corrosion and rusting in water heaters. The rod is made of magnesium, which wears out faster than steel. When water corrodes the magnesium, the anode rod releases electrons into the tank which form a protective barrier around the steel of the tank.
Does Atwood RV water heater need an anode rod?
If you have a Suburban water heater, the tank is porcelain-lined steel and requires an anode rod to prevent corrosion of the steel tank. If you have an Atwood water heater, your water heater tank is aluminum and does not require one.
Why do water heaters need an anode?
Powered anodes are also recommended when odor-causing bacteria infect a water heater tank and send noxious fumes running up water pipes, although special sacrificial anodes made from zinc and aluminum are also effective at counteracting this particular problem.