Anode rod in waterheater

Question

We just drained our water heater in our 2015 Winnebago Minnie Winnie. After draining the tank and blowing out the lines we applied Teflon tape to the anode rod plug and put it back in. The rod is about 9 inches long and looking at the tank seemed to be too long for the plug to be screwed into the tank until it was flush to the hole. My question is should this plug be flush and is it possible to put another anode rod that is not that long into this water heater. The model number for the heater is sw6d and it is a suburban brand heater. Thank you.

ehoefler · Answer

The threads are tapered pipe threads.  If you get it flush, you have a high likelyhood of having a leak.  Tighten until snug, pressurize, if it leaks, tighten only enough to stop the leak.

sch911 · Answer

The simple answer is no.  The threads will not bottom out, but the joint will be sealed.  As already stated these are pipe threads....

dick_b · Answer

One other helpful task is to use a wand-like device to flush the crud out of the heater. One model is called a Tank Saver. Then replace the anode assuming it is still in good shape.
For more information search this Forum for `anode'.

trackrig · Answer

Previous discussion.Bill

naturist · Answer

Pipe threads as others noted. Pipe threads differ from machine threads in that the male and female pieces are actually threaded to slightly different threads per inch, so that screwing them together causes the beginning and ending threads to bind in opposite directions. If you thread them together until they bind up, then apply just a bit more torque, they will seal nicely. If you crank them down harder, eventually they will strip each other out.

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Anode rod in waterheater

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