Atwood water heater anode rod
I have a 10 gallon atwood water heater and decided I wanted to clean this out since suspected the former owner never did much. So got me all the stuff I needed including a anode rod they advised me to...
Forum Discussion
Lynnmor wrote:dougrainer wrote:
"Atwood water heater tanks are constructed of a high strength aluminum.
The interior of the tank consists of a .0015 thickness of type 7072
aluminum (pure aluminum and zinc) that is fused to the core during the
rolling process. This material protects the tanks from the effects of heavy
metals and salts found in waters throughout the country. It is anodic to
these heavy metals and acts much like an anode in a steel glass lined
tank except it will last much longer. Aftermarket Anode Rods are not
required and should not be used and will void warranty
First, that thickness can't be right.
Second, "It is anodic to these heavy metals and acts much like an anode in a steel glass lined tank except it will last much longer." this comment is something that I wonder about. With the tank sacrificing material like an anode rod, at some point the tank should be spent.
YES that is the correct thickness of the aluminum/zinc cladding inside the all aluminum tank Atwood uses.
It is a solid sheet of alloy that is 'bonded' to the full aluminum tank material during the 'rolling' process.
YES....over time that aluminum/zinc cladding will wear/deteriorate BUT you still have the full aluminum tank that then needs to deteriorate before pinhole leaks will occur.
Give or take a few years........20 year old Atwood aluminum tanks are not out of the norm
