Your water heater is one of the most important aspects of your home: providing piping hot water for cooking, cleaning and bathing. While none of us like to think about it, water heaters need regular maintenance just like any other household appliance. Here in Chicago, IL, there’s no shortage of trained plumbers who can provide a reliable maintenance schedule for you. But it helps to understand how you can help out, and what is entailed in regular servicing. The anode rod, in particular, is a vital component in your water heater. The more you know about them, the better you can understand how your water heater functions.
It Rusts So Your Water Heater Doesn’t Have To
The anode rod is made of magnesium, aluminum or some similar metal, wrapped around a core of steel and placed in the tank of your water heater. This metal is referred to as “sacrificial metal,” because it prevents corrosion in the rest of the system by taking it on itself. Rust and other forms of corrosion that might otherwise eat into the walls of the water heater tank and other key locations, will instead feast on the anode rod, keeping the rest of your water heater safe.
Anode Rods Need to Be Replaced
The trick, of course, is that by serving as a sacrificial metal, anode rods require periodic replacement. Ideally, you should replace them every five years or so, but you need to check on them at least once a year to ensure that they’re still doing the job. That’s part of why a regular maintenance session makes so much sense. With a schedule in place, the technician can check the anode rod automatically and let you know when it needs to be replaced.
For anode rod replacement or other aspects of water heater maintenance, give the experts at Reliance plumbing a call today!