Water System Cleaning

[MyronL]

Everyone should read The Waste Makers. No better way to protect your eyes from the Barnum's in the manufacturing world.

[techfan]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

Absolutely correct, Brian. Water heaters that use propane or natural gas need an anode so that they can sacrifice their lives allowing the tank to go on living! The heat source is irrelevant in this discussion.

Thank you. Learned something. If you go propane only, one does eliminate the element and the possibility of turning on the heater without water and burning up the element, correct? Also, if you could change the tank material THEN you could eliminate the anode correct, but this is probably not practical. I have a new hot water tank at home that has no anode, but time will tell if this proves to be a good idea.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by techfan

If you go propane only, one does eliminate the element and the possibility of turning on the heater without water and burning up the element, correct?

Yes - although perhaps the heater could be damaged by running the propane burner without water in the tank.

Originally Posted by techfan

Also, if you could change the tank material THEN you could eliminate the anode correct, but this is probably not practical.

Right - the practical way to change the tank material is to replace the entire appliance with an Atwood... but maybe that's impractically expensive just to avoid the anode.

[gharper]

Aluminium oxidizes less easily than magnesium and so magnesium anodes usually protects freshwater tanks better than aluminium but do not last as long. Magnesium anodes tend to generate less sediment.