removing anode in Hot water tnk

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by flybouy

Leaving the anode out can create a nice dark habitat for insects which are tasty meals for rodents and small reptiles. If you're going to leave the anode out I'd replace it with a plastic or brass pipe plug.

If the purpose is to dry the tank out, replacing the anode with a plug sort of makes no sense. Fill the tank with dry gas and never get any hot water in your mouth!

[Todd727]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

If the purpose is to dry the tank out, replacing the anode with a plug sort of makes no sense. Fill the tank with dry gas and never get any hot water in your mouth!

He means to put a plug or the anode back in AFTER it has dried out. If you don't, you run the risk of the threads getting rusty and it being extremely hard to put the anode back in.

If that happens, get a piece of black or galvanized pipe. I believe it is 3/4" pipe thread. That pipe is tapered thread, so you will get it started easier than the straight thread anode and the threads will get cleaned up. Works like a charm and takes 5 minutes. Use a pipe wrench if you have one.