One of the big killers of a water heater is corrosion. Although lime deposits inside the tank can be considered a type of corrosion, the unknown types that most homeowners do not know about are galvanic corrosion and rust. These kinds of corrosion will render a water heater inoperable, in much the same way that hard water lime deposits will.
Galvanic and rust corrosion need to be checked differently than lime deposits, and if you have solid do-it-yourself capabilities, this is what you can do.
- Anode Rod — Located on top of your heater tank, the anode rod literally attracts the corrosive elements inside of your tank. By doing this, the rod corrodes, and eventually it will need to be replaced when it is inspected and bends easily. Although this can be a do-it-yourself task, it is best left to a professional service technician.
- Electrical Elements –– These are made of steel with a copper sheath. These two dissimilar metals will corrode through the process of electrolysis, but you can prevent this by installing galvanized unions with plastic nipples on the tank’s top.
- Gas Combustion Chamber — This area will rust and corrode due to condensation, or worse, a tank leak. Inspect the combustion chamber by first turning the gas valve to the “pilot” setting, then opening the hatch cover. Also, inspect the flue and draft diverter for traces of rust or carbon build-up.
By doing these relatively simple checks, you can head off corrosion before it becomes a major issue while keeping your water heater working as efficiently and effectively as possible, for all of your hot water needs.
For corrosion issues that are beyond your scope of do-it-yourself expertise, please contact the professionals at Aladdin Heating and Cooling. We will have the answers about any questions you may have, and our service technicians will solve all of your water heater corrosion problems. We’ve been serving the metropolitan Detroit, Michigan and surrounding areas, for almost 70 years.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Warren, Michigan about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about water heaters and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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