OT- Water softener effecting water heater?

[hesstool]

Can a water softener essentially ruin a water heater? I've been getting foul smelling water from my hot water taps but not from my cold taps. Naturally I start to suspect the water heater, which is only 7 years old. But could the softened water effectively cause the demise of the water heater, or could it be the water heater is just dying by itself? Or something else all together?

[tomwalz]

Hard water has minerals in it. Soft water does not. Water has the capacity to dissolve minerals. If it is not at full capacity it will dissolve metals. The common saying is that soft water is hungry water.

Having said that, your water heater should be lined with glass or something similar that will not dissolve.

[Iceman Motorsports]

Take the anode rod out of the heater. I have had to on every water heater here for the last 30 years. I have three water heaters and softeners and have well water. Never had a heater rust out or leak but the stink is gone.

[Ray Behner]

Yup, Iceman's probably right. Was a plumber for waaay to long. I took out many anodes. They're made of magnesium and give off a sulfur type smell when they are consumed. This will however, void the warranty.

Ray

[Craig Donges]

Ray and Iceman are correct. But, here's what I've been told to do to save the warranty by plumbing suppliers to salvage the warranty.

Take the anode out, cut it off and reinstall the original anode plug. The lille of the rod remaining will probably not affect your water, just not enough surface area in the water tank. This way, if you have a warranty issue, they see the correct plug in the anode hole. Never heard of a supplier pulling the plug to check.

Craig Donges

[hesstool]

Ok, so here's a non-plumbers question(s): What is an anode rod and how do I get to it to remove it? The water heater is 7 years old so I'm pretty sure there is not warranty left.

[jimboggs]

Anode is usually in a third bung on top of water heater (I've see some that were part of the cold water dip-tube though too), it will look like a pipe plug. Unscrew (after shutting off water and draining the pressure off) and then you can cut off the anode. While I've known of this remedy for a long time, I don't really care for it. The anode is a sacrificial rod of metal that takes the damage so the tank doesn't. The fault lies in the chemical/mineral make-up of your water, not the rod. Remedying your water can get rather costly however. Seems to me Bradford-White or some other W-H manufacturer came up with a substitute anode to help with the "sulfur" smell coming from your water. With the age of your water heater it probably doesn't make a difference anymore though, whack it off and be done with it.

Yes, they will pull the plug to check on a warranty claim. You'd be better off to save the original anode and just put a 3/4" pipe-plug there and replace the anode if you have to turn it in for warranty.

Jim

[bosleyjr]

Originally Posted by tomwalz

Hard water has minerals in it. Soft water does not.

Kind of. Hard water typically has a significant amount of divalent cations (+2 charge) like calcium and magnesium. These form less-soluble salts than do monovalent cations (+1 charge) like potassium and sodium. Water softeners are also called "ion exchange" units, because they replace the Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions with sodium or potassium ions from the salt you add. This makes for more-soluble stuff in your water, and fewer deposits.

Originally Posted by tomwalz

The common saying is that soft water is hungry water.

I had never heard this, but it makes sense. Thanks!

Jim

[moonlight machine]

Anode out definitly does the job. Mine has been out for years, no problems yet.....