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Old 09-28-2017, 07:54 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron in BC View Post
Gee, I modestly said our water was good, but OK, I can go along with best in the world. I remember, as a teenager, going to get a glass of tap water at my aunts place in San Francisco. She was agast and told me that they didn't drink water from the tap.



Ron
I bet most of us in the NW part of the continent have pretty good water. Bremerton owns their own Protected watershed and has never required much treatment. However recently because of the fiasco in Flint, Michigan, we are now required to modify the PH. From the Bremerton Public Utility web site:

"Bremerton's Water Needs Minimal Treatment:

Bremerton's water system is operated and maintained by experienced personnel certified by the State. Bremerton's Union River water source is such good quality that the city is not required to install a filtration facility as long as all water quality, operational, and watershed protection requirements are met. Bremerton consistently meets these high standards. Treatment of Bremerton's water currently consists of disinfection (chlorine and ultraviolet light) and corrosion control. Corrosion treatment increases the pH of water and is required to prevent Bremerton's water from leaching lead from customer's household plumbing. Sampling results confirm this treatment is successful in achieving corrosion control."
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Old 09-28-2017, 08:01 PM   #22
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They sell Nestle bottled water at the grocery store in Hope, B.C.
It comes from the aquifer at Hope, B.C.
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Old 09-28-2017, 08:28 PM   #23
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Originally Posted by LarryandLiz View Post
I was at a Snowbird RV Show last year and bought an anode just because I was at an RV Show and felt like buying something. This spring I tried to put it into the hot water tank and it didn't go in all the way. I think anodes come in different lengths depending on the size of the hot water tank. Also it is aluminum (which I had no idea about when I impulse bought it) and we live in the Lower Mainland of BC where our water is super soft and about the best in the entire world. I don't think I really need to replace the original anode if Glenn's has lasted as long as his has.

Anybody want to buy my aluminum anode, cheap ?

Larry
If the anode is too long, take out your hacksaw and shorten the anode so that it will fit in your tank.
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Old 09-28-2017, 10:08 PM   #24
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Originally Posted by rbryan4 View Post
Hard water will generally corrode an anode faster than soft.

Anodes will corrode (sacrifice themselves) no matter what kind of water you have however, because that's what they are designed to do. They are made of less noble metals than the steel in the tank. So, they corrode first, preventing corrosion of the steel in the process. Generally, an aluminum rod is best for hard water, and a magnesium is best for soft water. Some aluminum rods also contain about 10 percent zinc. These are designed to reduce the sulphur smell found in some water.

A magnesium rod will last longer than an aluminum one when used with softer water, but not so much when used with hard. Here in south Texas we have hard water because of the natural limestone in the water table. So, I use an aluminum rod. I don't have a precise figure, but I would guess that for someone living in a place like BC, their anode would last about 4 or 5 times longer than mine.

It's no biggie, because every time you drain and flush the water heater, you are also inspecting the anode. They're cheap, so replace it once the majority of it is gone.

There's another interesting thing about how the water affects the corrosion of an anode, but it's only a concern for a home water heater: a water softener will reduce the life of the anode in a home hot water heater by quite a bit. That's because the softener increases the sodium content in the water. Sacrificial metals deteriorate rapidly in water with a higher sodium content.
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Originally Posted by gharper View Post
Magnesium has a greater electrochemical potential than aluminium and will oxidize at a greater rate regardless of water type acting as a sacrificial anode protecting the tank. Aluminium anodes are less costly and are usually what the tank will come with. A water tank is basically an electrolytic solution where electrons will flow through the water and oxidize metals that have a greater electrolytic potential. Without a sacrificial anode the tank will be oxidized. The more galvanic the electrode the less likely other metals in the tank will be corroded.
Have been enjoying that getting a travel trailer is nudging me to learn more about chemistry and physics. (Not being facetious)
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