Water Heaters - Bradford White Anode

I have a Bradford White 40 gallon power vented WH with soft water. The unit is 1.5 years old and has a 6 year warranty. Based on what I've read, I should have the anode rod inspected some time in the next 12 months(?). I called the plumber that installed the WH to get a rough cost to inspect/replace the rod. He's estimating $350 to $400 to replace, $150 to inspect. Does it make sense to invest this much money every 2 years? If I routinely change the rod every 2 years, after 8 years I will have spent the equivalent of a new unit and it's possible that I would still need to buy a new unit at the end of 8-10 years.

I've thought about doing this myself, but the outlet is hard piped and it looks like I'd have to take the top off of the unit to get at the nipple.

Am I thinking about this the wrong way?

Thanks.

1.5 years seems kind of soon to be worried about the anode. Is there something we don't know about? Such as a water softener, unusual amount of minerals, acidic water, etc. In my opinion, it's not worth spending that amount of money on a throw away appliance. If you can do it yourself, that's a different story. Perhaps you should get another opinion or just save your money and replace the water heater in 8 years or when it fails.

The problem with anodes is the amount of labor it takes to replace one. In some cases, it's easier to replace the entire heater. While anodes provide protection to the tank, it is far from 100% protection. I have seen tanks rust through with anodes that were more than 70% intact. Go figure.

Perhaps others can offer more on this subject.

Good luck

I do have a water softener. The manual recommends inspecting the anode every 2 years or more frequently if used with soft water.

Generally, water softeners will eat up the anode a lot faster. So your concern is real. You may wish to talk with another plumber in your area. Perhaps they can offer more adivce and possibly a better price for anode replacement.
If you are handy, you can do it yourself. The Bradford White uses an anode that is part of the oulet (hot side) nipple. In some cases it can be difficult to remove while the unit is upright (wrench clearance, access in a closet, headroom for anode, the list goes on). Frequently, it is a lot easier if the heater is on its side.... which is the same amount of work as changing out the heater.

We have the same water heater and I just inspected mine. It was not that difficult to do. On the bradford white power vented 40 gal. model the anode rod is attached to the hot water outlet nipple. First I completely drained the tank, then to remove it I just used a pipe wrench on the nipple being careful not to damage the threads. There is a space on the nipple that is smooth(between the two opposing threads) to put your pipe wrench on. Loosen the nipple with your wrench and finish loosening by hand. After completely undone just lift straight up(rod is aprox.32" long). I didnt have to lay the unit on its side, I left everthing hooked up except the hot water outlet pipe. Mine is in the basement with enough head room to accomadate this. Hope it goes as well as mine did....

I have a Bradford White 40 gallon power vented WH with soft water. The unit is 1.5 years old and has a 6 year warranty. Based on what I've read, I should have the anode rod inspected some time in the next 12 months(?). I called the plumber that installed the WH to get a rough cost to inspect/replace the rod. He's estimating $350 to $400 to replace, $150 to inspect. Does it make sense to invest this much money every 2 years? If I routinely change the rod every 2 years, after 8 years I will have spent the equivalent of a new unit and it's possible that I would still need to buy a new unit at the end of 8-10 years.

I've thought about doing this myself, but the outlet is hard piped and it looks like I'd have to take the top off of the unit to get at the nipple.

Am I thinking about this the wrong way?

Thanks.

:madhell:

No, you are spot on. I just bought a Bradford White 50 gallon gas water heater today and I couldn't be more upset. Had I read this post I would not have purchased it.

The whole thing is a scam. Have you read your installation booklet? It says to examine your anode every 2 years -- more if you have a water softener. Yet they make it almost impossible to access.

I called tech support and I asked them why they double up the anode with the hot water. Their response was that it was a cost decision. I don't think so. It is a ploy to either sell more water heaters so that people don't inspect the anode, or to have the Bradford White dealers (and their dealers only) inspect the anode and charge you the cost of the WH over the life of the warranty.

I asked the installer where I would get an anode, he replied Bradford White. When I asked the Bradford White tech support, they said from the installer! When I need an anode in 3-5 years (if I haven't destroyed the nipple by inspecting it in the mean time), I wonder if I'll be able to actually buy one.

My plumber charges $112 just to show up. To check the anode every other year is going to run about $150 to $200, vs. five minutes for me to check the anode with the normal 1 1/16" hex nut.

If you are going to check it yourself, you have to install or have a plumber install a union in the vertical section of the copper above the hot water outlet. That way you can easily unscrew the coupler, unscrew the lower copper pipe from the nipple, remove the nipple, and pull out the anode.

Look at page 24 on this installation manual and you can see the unions. Although they portray them wrong b/c you want them on the vertical section above the WH, not on the horizontal. That is b/c it would be impossible to unscrew the copper pipe from the nipple (swinging the L shaped pipe around).

http://www.bradfordwhite.com/images/shared/pdfs/manuals/238_44219_00G.pdf

On the above link, page 22, item 9 you can see the reference to checking the anode.

On page 24 of this link you can see the steps to replace the anode.

http://www.bradfordwhite.com/images/shared/pdfs/manuals/44943C.pdf

grease....2+ year old thread..and..most of the stuff about checking your anode is due to the lawsuit/recall back in the late '90's.

Flush the WH yearly at least, and it should be fine for its normal lifespan.

in all the years i have done plumbing i have only ran into a couple of bad anode rods and those were on units 10+ years old. bradford white is one of the 2 best water heaters sold today and is what i install all the time (unless the home owner wants to buy theri own from a big box and deal with the warranty themselves).

they only recommend you inspect it every 2 years but unless you have a smell coming from your hot water line you should not have to worry about it for atleast 5 years on average from what i have seen, even with a softener

grease....2+ year old thread..and..most of the stuff about checking your anode is due to the lawsuit/recall back in the late '90's.

Flush the WH yearly at least, and it should be fine for its normal lifespan.

I posted to this old thread b/c it was the most relevant to my situation and so that others would think twice about buying a WH w/o a separate anode port. I also thought that even though it was old, the thread will always be searchable.

The instructin manual w/ my WH says to flush it once a month, so I will go with that interval.

It also says to check your anode every other year and more often with a softener (which I have). I will also follow that instruction. My last WH had the anode one third eaten after just three years and completely gone after 9, so l will keep an eye on it. Shame on me for not checking it in between.

I am expecting this appliance to last much longer than the warranty (6 years), double that at a minimum. There is no reason it can't last 15-20 years if taken care of.

We don't throw out our cars after a 36K/3YR warranty and buy another, I'm not planning to do the same for my water heater. Likewise my refrigerator, dishwasher, washer/dryer all had one year warranties. They have gone 10 times that and expect them to go another 5-10 years.

The public has accepted that WHs are throw away appliances. The manufacturers know that and take advantage of it -- IMO.

well none of those other things will have a 40+ gal tank start leaking after it rusts out and possibly cause thousands of dollars in damage to your home. because water composition is different all over the place it is very hard to pin down how long a water heater tank will actually last. there are just to many variables to consider. with tank heaters it is not a case of if they will start leaking but a case of when. most tanks last an average of 12-15 years, have any lasted longer? sure, i have seen them as old as 25 and heard of 30 yr old heaters, but everry day past 10 years is a crap shoot. personally mine is atleast 15 years old (havent looked at the date yet) and is still working fine but i am gambling that it will last longer.

installing the anode on the hot water outlet is not only cost effective but also makes for a more sound tank.

have you checked into getting an aluminium anode? it is better with the "more aggressive water"

doing the suggested maintanence from the time the heater is installed will definitely help in making your heater last longer

there is a website dedicated to diy water heater maintenance - search for water heater rescue. not spam from me, just a recommendation from a satisfied user.