Best Anode Rod For Difficult Water

Different types of anode rods come with diverse strengths and weaknesses. If you lot’re not already familiar amongst them, it tin can live hard to know what type of rod industrial plant best alongside what type of water.

If yous have hard H2O inwards your habitation, reading through this article should assist you make an informed conclusion on which rod is going to concluding the longest, supply the best protection for your H2O heater, and ameliorate arrange your needs!

Due to their low reactivity, aluminum rods are the best sacrificial rods for difficult H2O. However, the overall best is a powered rod. Both types tin handgrip the high mineral content, though powered rods commonly provide ameliorate protection against corrosion, limescale buildup, as well as odour.

Hard Water Is Very Corrosive

Hard water gains its cite from the type of minerals it contains. Hard water, inwards comparing to soft water, has a higher pH grade together with contains a higher concentration of minerals, primarily calcium as well as magnesium, though others may live acquaint.

In other words, the fewer minerals are in the water, the softer it is.

Even though hard H2O has a lower corrosion charge per unit than soft water, it doesn’t hateful that it doesn’t cause corrosion at all. It but does and then in a different way.

The minerals can likewise construct upward on diverse surfaces over fourth dimension. This increases the tendency of the tank to corrode since mineral buildup on the within of H2O tanks tin can wearable away at the top layer of the steel, making it much more prone to rust.

Hard Water Causes Limescale

Limescale, as mentioned, is a buildup of minerals, primarily calcium carbonate. Once the H2O evaporates, it leaves behind the minerals it contains, allowing them to make upward over fourth dimension together with class a difficult, thick layer of deposit.

Since difficult H2O contains higher concentrations of minerals, the harder the water, the faster it creates limescale buildup.

Limescale is non harmful to our wellness, simply equally it develops, it tin become a job. This is particularly true for appliances like water heaters.

Over fourth dimension, limescale buildup volition surround a water heater’s heating chemical element. This forces it to warm through the limescale inward guild to oestrus the H2O, making it go harder in addition to less efficiently to do its task. This can trim the heater’s lifespan by several years.

There Are Several Types of Anode Rods

There are ii main categories of anode rods. The showtime is a powered or non-sacrificial anode rod, too the instant is a sacrificial rod.

A powered rod is meant to terminal for the entire lifespan of your water heater. It keeps corrosion at bay by using electrical pulses to forestall corrosion too limescale buildup within the tank.

Sacrificial anode rods, on the other hand, are therefore named because they describe corrosive elements towards themselves. They break downwardly inwards place of your tank, literally “sacrificing” themselves too requiring replacement every few years.

a man holding a sacrificial anode rod damaged from corrosion

Sacrificial rods tin can live made from various types of metallic, like magnesium, aluminum, or a combination of zinc and aluminum. Because of this, they are differently equipped to handle dissimilar H2O weather.

Comparing Their Performance inward Hard Water

Magnesium Anode Rods

Magnesium is very reactive to the minerals constitute inward difficult water. This agency that a magnesium anode rod volition corrode much faster than an anode of other fabric one time submerged inward difficult water.

For this argue, magnesium anodes operate best in soft or softened H2O.

Aluminum Anode Rods

Aluminum is non as reactive every bit magnesium is. This allows aluminum anode rods to final for a longer time inward hard-water environments patch nevertheless maintaining a higher reactiveness to corrosive material than the steel of the tank does.

Aluminum anode rods are thus much ameliorate suited to hard conditions.

Zinc Anode Rods

Zinc anodes are actually composed of both zinc as well as aluminum in addition to are typically used for smelly H2O, where the scent is caused by bacteria.

The zinc to aluminum ratio is ordinarily i:ten, pregnant they are primarily aluminum. They operate well inward hard water because of this.

Powered Anode Rods

The actual rod component part of a powered anode is made of titanium, a textile highly resistant to corrosion. When in role, a small-scale electrical electric current is sent through the rod.

The electric current scatters minerals and harmful electrons inside the water, preventing whatsoever type of buildup on the walls of the water heater as well as therefore keeping corrosion in addition to limescale at bay even when used inwards difficult H2O.

Is Powered or Aluminum Anode Rod Better?

When it comes downwardly to handling hard water, your best options are aluminum or powered anodes. Both volition live able to do the chore, albeit inward dissimilar ways.

Which i is ameliorate will ultimately differ from instance to instance, although powered anode rods appear to render more well-rounded protection for the H2O heater tank.

In guild to make up one's mind which 1 will meliorate adjust your needs together with your home, let’s have a more than inward-depth wait at each.

Aluminum Anode Rod Overview

Aluminum rods are, equally discussed, non highly reactive anodes. This is what allows them to terminal longer than magnesium anodes inward difficult H2O atmospheric condition, where many minerals are introduce.

That said, they come up with their ain ready of drawbacks too every bit benefits. For i, they are real cheap. They can oftentimes be establish for exclusively nearly $20- $40, like this Camco Aluminum Anode Rod_{^{(amazon link).}}

However, they notwithstanding take to live replaced every few years. Additionally, the mineral buildup that will probable fall out with an aluminum rod may eventually clog plumbing or trim down the heater’second efficiency.

Pros too Cons Table

Pros	Cons
Cheapest anode rod ($20-xl).	Needs replacement every iii-5 years.
Lowest reactivity of sacrificial rods increases lifespan.	Low reactivity does non fully forestall corrosion.
Low reactivity allows role inward hard water.	Buildup can pause off in addition to clog plumbing.
Can foreclose smelly H2O (alone if the anode too contains zinc).

Powered Anode Rods Overview

Powered anode rods are rather unique, equally they are non-sacrificial. The well-nigh popular make on the marketplace correct like a shot is the Corro-Protec_{^{(amazon link)}}.

Powered anode rods are beneficial in that they are meant to last for your tank’s entire lifespan without replacement. This does brand them much more than expensive than sacrificial rods upfront only their operating costs are extremely depression, in addition to they may save y'all coin inwards the long function.

The fact that they operate on electricity is what allows them to hold limescale, corrosion, in addition to smelly H2O, just if the ability always goes out for a prolonged flow, then y'all’re going to be without a functional anode for that time.

Pros in addition to Cons Table

Pros	Cons
Built to last for decades without replacement.	Expensive toll upwards front end ($100-200).
Will non corrode.	Requires electricity to work.
Automatically adjusts to run inwards both hard in addition to soft water.	Needs an outlet nearly the water heater.
Can preclude smelly water.