Steve Wells
: What is the true purpose of an anoid rod in a water heater? ThanksSteve: I found this definition by doing a search with AltaVista:An anode made of suitable metal placed in a water heater tank to protect the tank from corrosion. Anodes of metals such as aluminum, magnesium, or zinc are sometimes installed in water heaters and other tanks to control corrosion of the tank. The introduction of the anode creates a galvanic cell in which the magnesium or zinc will go into solution (be corroded) more quickly than the metal of the tank, thereby imparting a cathodic (negative) charge to the tank metal(s), and preventing tank corrosion. This corroding of the anode metal is called the sacrifice of the anode.Ive been told that under some circumstances they can contribute to odor in your water.
