yeah… i’ve replaced dip-tubes, which connect in a manner similar to the anode
get with the tech, ask if that by some chance the effort to repair the heater fails, if he/she will credit some of that cost towards a full replacement 
dude, when 60% of Americans polled say the cannot afford an emergency expense of 500$, I think the most stringent adherence to recommended preventive maintenance of their water heater gets the shaft
I’ve been plumbing close to 30 years… anode replacement is extremely rare. Expansion tanks were not even a requirement till the last 20 approx years. Lotta noise to sort out, like with most everything imo
Yeah, that makes sense. Definitely helps having you around to tell us what parts are the noise.
I’m sure my general laziness is what will prevent me from doing it. If I even remember what an anode rod is in 3 yrs, that would be surprising.
Anyway, any thoughts on the aluminum vs magnesium rods? Is magnesium really worth an extra ~600 bucks.
1 Like
glad to help you guys and the forum in any way I can… it’s good practice for me, too, trying to stay sharp communicating concepts to customers, coworkers etc.
I dunno exactly… looks like it depends on the water
For harder water an aluminum anode rod is the best choice for your heater and if you live in an area with soft water then a magnesium anode rod is your best choice. Aluminum anodes tend to be cheaper than magnesium anode rods . A magnesium rod will generally last less than an aluminum rod .
3 Likes
this vid tho lol
OK, different heating problem now.
Had some heated floors installed a while back but the bathroom took forever t finish, so only got around to testing it out now. Doesn’t seem like it’s working properly, but I’ve never had one before.
I’ve got it set at max (104 degrees) for about 2 hrs and the floor is barely warm. It’s warmer than areas that are not heated, but it does’t feel anything like 104 degrees.
How long should it take the floor to heat up? I’ve seen widely varied estimates when I’ve tried to research it online.
If I set it at 104 and it’s working, does that mean the tile should be pretty close to that temp.? I haven’t measured it yet, but I guess I could get an infrared thermometer or something.
Any idea what the problem might be. I was initially worried that there was a problem with the coils under the floor, but now I’m thinking maybe there is just not enough power getting to them.
Can you explain this:
House has two water heaters. Plumber quotes a price of $1800 to replace a 50 gallon water heater, but $3000 to replace the 75 gallon water heater. In both cases, they’re just going to use existing lines and ducting. And the new heaters are equivalent models of Bradford White heaters. If anything the 75 is in a much easier location to work on and access.
Why is there such a difference in price?
The estimates were not given at the same time. They were about a month apart if that matters.
“Barely warm” is pretty much exactly how I’d describe a 104 degree surface. Not sure how hot you expect it to get. They’re meant to warm the entire room gently and evenly, not scald your feet.
1 Like
Well I set it at 85 at first, but I didn’t feel a thing. So I cranked it up.
There is no way this thing can heat a room, it barely gets the tiles warm when set as high as it can go.
The other reason I think there is a problem is that the tiles closest to the threshold are noticeably warmer than the rest of the bathroom (at least 10 degree difference in my estimation). There is nothing “even” about it. Despite leaving it on for 2 hrs.
If the control panel says that the floor temp is X and I check the temp with an infrared thermometer, I should be getting something close to X, right? I’m going to pick one up and try it, but it seems to me that when set at 104, the hottest part of the floor is at most at 80 degrees and the majority is less than that.
Any ideas where the problem may lie.
I’m really hoping the problems is with the thermostat and/or controls and not the coils under the tiles.
Yes. It could be a faulty probe, and most systems install 2 just in case one goes bad. If it’s that or the controller then it should be an easy fix. If it’s the main heating wire you’re pretty much fucked.
There is also usually a worksheet with various tests the installer is supposed to leave with the customer for verification and future troubleshooting.
I have an electrical question. My kitchen has fluorescent lights mounted under the cabinets. They have individual on/off switches, but they’re also controlled from a switch. I want to remove these and use Hue light strips, which plug into an outlet. I believe that I need to just cut the wires and cap them off with wire nuts and electrical tape. But then what? If this was a light fixture in the ceiling, I assume there would be some kind of workbox that I would put the wires in and cover. Here, there’s no such thing, with the wire just disappearing into the tile. Do I need to remove the tile to do this?
You can cut the wire at both ends and stuff the end in the pic into the wall. It’s kind of frowned on but acceptable. Leaving unterminated live wires in the wall is a big no no.
1 Like
I’ll ask about that. When you say “usually” how unusual would it be not to have that.
Our project got completely fucked up for a bunch of reasons including the fact that project manager quit the company before the job was finished and the transition wasn’t ideal.
I’ve only installed systems from Schluter, but my understanding from talking with an electrician is that testing before and after the tile goes down is pretty standard.
Check the manufacture’s website for your system
You should be able to remove the wire at the switch and make sure everything is and will be dead. And you should do that so that no one can turn on the switch and have any of that wire be hot and just a wire nut outside of a box is not ok for a live wire.
Looks like the crisis may be averted. The guy overseeing the remodel came over and it looks like the thermostat wasn’t wired properly. But after fixing that the gfci kept tripping. They seem to have fixed that problem. Now floor is nice and toasty for the most part.
I’m still worried about the electrical in general. This is one of several electrical probs we’ve had in that bathroom. But as of right now everything is working as it should. And supposedly if any problems come up, they will come by and take care of them.
Thanks guys! It’s a little more complicated because there is a second fluorescent on the same switch, but I will just get rid of both of them (also the wire for the other light is embedded in mortar, which will make it harder to remove, but I can probably cope).
Did they have a good explanation for why the breaker was tripping and how they fixed it correctly?
Well, I might not have explained that part correctly. Not sure if I used the right terminology.
There was this red light on the controller that kept blinking and on there was a message that said “fault”.
As far as explanation, there was none. I was standing right there for most of the time. The guy fixing it was baffled for a while. He was about to go back to his shop and get another control panel, but then he tried pressing some button for a longer period of time and then it worked.
He mentioned up front that he wasn’t an electrician, but he was a going to give fixing it a shot and if he couldn’t then he would send an electrician over.