Is antifreeze harmful to H/W heaters?

[lakeside]

Greetings,

I winterized my system, drained my H/W tank and flushed out the small amount of H2O remaining at the bottom of the H/W tank with a little pink stuff. Is a small amont of the pink antifreeze, left over the winter, harmful to the H/W tank?

Thanks.

Lakeside

 

[whp4262]

I looked at my Suburban book and it said that antifreeze can be very corrosive to the anode rod creating premature failure and heavy sediment in the bottom of the tank. They recommend removing the anode rod and replacing it with a 3/4 drain plug while stored if there is antifreeze in the tank.


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[cookie]

If you only have a small amount of anti-freeze left in the tank, it will not be a problem.
In the future, you really don't have to add anything to the water heater.
Once you drain the water heater, the small amount of water left in there will not cause any problems.

Peace
Dave

 

[dave10a]

Ethanol and aluminum are not the best of friends and the result is corrosion

 

[lakeside]

The anode rod has been removed from the tank and is sitting on my work bench. Is the inside of a 2014 Bighorn water heater glass lined or just aluminum?

Thank you for all the info folks.

Lakeside

 

[jmgratz]

I believe the liner is metal. That is the purpose of the anode rod. The anode rod serves as a sacrificial metal which 'rots' instead of the liner.

 

[Mizmary]

I believe the liner is metal. That is the purpose of the anode rod. The anode rod serves as a sacrificial metal which 'rots' instead of the liner.

Yup.

Our neighbor just had to replace his sacrificial anode rod. He didn't catch it in time and a $15 rod replacement became a several hundred dollar water heater replacement. The rod originally was about 9" long and 3/4" in diameter. The rod when he pulled it out was the diameter of a bamboo skewer and only about 5" long.

Something good to check every year or two. It could save a lot of hassle and $$.

 

[JohnDar]

If you're concerned about the small amount of water left after draining, stuff a wet rag into the tank so that is lies on the bottom of the tank. Let the end hang down and gravity will do the rest. So long as the tank can "breathe" (by leaving the plug out), the small amount of ice that may form will not affect the tank, so even this is not really necessary.

 

[57chevyconvt]

After draining the HW tank, I use a bottle brush to sweep the corrosion products and remaining water from the bottom of the tank. John's method gets rid of any remaining water.

 

[mobilcastle]

I pull my rod out as this drains the tank-then I flush the tank out with an extension wand I use and leave the rod out during the winter. Very small amount of water remains in the heater-will not harm anything.


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