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jstoy 
Newbie 
Joined: 21 Apr 2015 Location: Glenside pa Online Status: Offline Posts: 20 |
 Topic: annode replacement Al or Magnesium?Posted: 19 Oct 2015 at 8:37am |
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I am going to need a new annode rod for my Hot water heater for next spring. Doing a search, I see that you can purchase either Aluminum or Magnesium. Does it matter what kind of replacement as long as it fits the water heater?
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kymooses
Senior Member 
Joined: 01 Aug 2010 Location: Louisville, Ky Online Status: Offline Posts: 1807 |
Posted: 19 Oct 2015 at 9:07am |
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There are reasons for each, Magnesium is the usual standard, but if you camp places where the water is ever sulphurous smelling you'd maybe want to consider the Aluminium as it does not harbor the microbes that can contribute to the smell as much as the Magnesium ones.
One of the Suburban water heater manuals says that the Magnesium one should last for more than 1 year, I've had mine in several years now in fact. If yours degrades super quickly they mention using Aluminum ones as they react slower. But it does say either can be used. Personally, Magnesium comes in them from the get go from the manufacturer so I stick with that because well, that's what they had in there. I'm replacing mine this year for the first time in 5 years with a new Magnesium one. Not so much that it needs it as the old one still looks pretty good, but at this point I figure it's time to rotate it out along with other Pod things that need doing on this time schedule.
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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp 
Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9062 |
Posted: 19 Oct 2015 at 11:23am |
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My anode was like kymooses, after 5 years it still didn't need it but I did it anyway.
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Q7-retired
Senior Member
Joined: 26 Dec 2014 Location: Pittsboro, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 100 |
Posted: 23 Oct 2015 at 5:35pm |
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Aluminum is more "noble" than magnesium, from a galvanic corrosion perspective. See the Wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_series for an explanation. What this means in practice is that the magnesium rod will react more quickly and massively than an aluminum rod. In ships, sacrificial anodes protect hull plating and sea water valve intakes. The US Navy uses zinc anodes since magnesium doesn't quite last as long and zinc is a little more welder-friendly.
These anodes are so inexpensive, I will always go for the magnesium instead of aluminum. |
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Best regards, Jim
2015-RP178 TV 2015 Audi Q7 TDI and 2017 Ford F150 At home in "Our Pod" |
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Q7-retired
Senior Member
Joined: 26 Dec 2014 Location: Pittsboro, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 100 |
Posted: 25 Oct 2015 at 5:13pm |
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Thought i'd add a picture to my last post. Here is a one-year old magnesium anode, perhaps 10%-20% or less corroded. There seems to be a center pin onto which the magnesium is cast, meaning that if the bit near the plug end continues to corrode, it will not break off and fall into the water heater tank. It looks right from a corrosion perspective, too, in that the most active section is nearest the tank wall.
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Best regards, Jim
2015-RP178 TV 2015 Audi Q7 TDI and 2017 Ford F150 At home in "Our Pod" |
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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp
Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9062 |
Posted: 25 Oct 2015 at 7:38pm |
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Yup, that is usually how they "wear".
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annode replacement Al or Magnesium?