Water heater anode rod Thoughts on removing

[rlitman]

...Well, my office has had a titanium powered anode in its water heater since 2009. That's not LONG term, but impressed current cathodic systems are what's typically used to protect docked museum ships for their lifetimes, which does meet your LONG term experience requirement. Yes, they work very well.

Just saw my old post and felt the need to follow up.

That water heater from 2009 with the titanium powered anode failed catastrophically on February 6, 2024. But it failed in a way that an anode would not protect it. So, we got 15 years of service from the power anode.

As for catastrophic, well, try this one on for size. The sealed combustion flue corroded out from the dry side (the side the anode does not protect). City water pressure forced hot water up the flue, flooding the PVC intake and exhaust pipes all the way to the wall outlet. It's a commercial setting, so these were 4" PVC pipes with about a 50' run, so yeah, that's a lot of water weight, but gladly the pipes were well supported.

Unfortunately, it didn't stop there. From the flooded combustion chamber, the water pressure forced its way past the gas valve (gas valves aren't designed to handle anything near city water pressure), up the 1" gas supply where it flooded the 4" gas main on the ceiling, came down and flooded the boiler across the room. I arrived to a boiler lock-out alarm, and found water dripping from the stem of the 1-1/2" gas valve. Water had made its way into the $1500 modulating valve in the boiler and trashed it. Gladly water doesn't really hurt a condensing boiler.

 

[Boatman62]

Last year all of a sudden we were getting rotten egg smell from the hot water. after some research found that certain water chemistry will react with the magnesium rods that are installed new. Was suggested to install a zinc or electronic anode. I went with the electronic. So far no issues. I went a step further than just installing the anode and decided to flush the tank and pictured is what came out. That gelatinous mess is the bacteria that was thriving. Further research found that the bacteria is Legionella and can possibly lead to legionnaires disease. I've opened the drain a couple times over the past year and just clean water.

 

[rlitman]

... Further research found that the bacteria is Legionella and can possibly lead to legionnaires disease...

Legionella thrives in water that isn't sufficiently hot. Turn up the temperature! There are other bacteria that live in water heaters that react with the anodes too. For the most part, the ones that will survive in a water heater above 140F won't make you ill.