View single post by elenano
 Posted: Sun Jun 28th, 2009 03:35 am
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elenano



Joined: Sat Sep 11th, 2004
Location: USA
Posts: 2116
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 The Marathon may indeed solve your problem, but so might a powered anode, for quite a bit less (and disclosure: Energyexpert doesn't sell Marathons, but I do sell powered anodes; I mainly recommend them for odor issues, but they could be very effective in a highly corrosive environment, too).

In either of these cases, it's presuming you KNOW you have a rapid corrosion problem and not, say, a high-pressure problem. It would be instructive to see an anode from one of the tanks that failed. That could tell you a lot.

I think a very important step to take right now is to get a water pressure gauge and check both static pressure -- what it is when nothing is going on, and pressure at the water heater drain valve when the tank is firing to maintain temperature, but nobody is using hot water. You can create that condition with a little manipulation of the temperature control.

Go to Troubleshooting from the homepage, then Tanklets, then Temperature/Pressure Relief Valves and read that one. That will acquaint you with the basics of thermal expansion. Your expansion tank should take care of that -- if it's set right and it's actually working. Sometimes the rubber diaphragms go with age and hot water. A contributor named Undees is fond of posting his photo of a water pressure gauge, and I think he did a day or so ago within a few posts of this one.

I also suggest that you go to the homepage and click on the link for What Kills Water Heaters. My mentor, Larry Weingarten, who sometimes hangs out here, taught me to assume nothing when troubleshooting. Let's see what we can learn about your problem.

Randy Schuyler