Scrapping out a full brine tank

**WmRMeyers** · Jan 28, 2022, 12:50 PM

Originally Posted by Elizabeth Greene

Since we're on plumbing, I have a couple of related questions if that's ok?

1. Anyone here have a heat pump water heater? They are supposedly significantly more energy efficient, and I'd appreciate real-world feedback. My current hot water heater is in our insulated but not climate-controlled Garage. We're in Tennessee, so we have twice or more as many warm days as cold days.

2. For replacing the zincs in a water heater, how do you get them out? Mine don't even budge with my biggest pipe wrench; The whole water heater rotates.

Try an impact wrench. The hammer-driven sort. And be prepared to replace the tank. Once the zinc goes away, the tank starts eating itself. As I've found out twice while here in this house.

I'm in Oklahoma, and the climate here is such that folks who know better tell me that a heat pump system for AC is about useless most of the time, because it gets too cold, and too hot, for them to work as efficiently as they are supposed to. They did say that if I could get one of the Geo-thermal systems, that would be great! OTH, we have very little topsoil here, and a lot of fairly tough nasty clayey sandstone that is hard & expensive to dig through. Average depth of the topsoil in my yard is about 8". YMMV, since you're in a region I'm not at all familiar with. I drove past Memphis once.

HTH!

Bill

**nova_robotics** · Jan 28, 2022, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by Elizabeth Greene

2. For replacing the zincs in a water heater, how do you get them out? Mine don't even budge with my biggest pipe wrench; The whole water heater rotates.

I can't speak to the heat pump water heaters. I'm in Canada and it doesn't make sense to cool your house a good part of the year. A bit of free air conditioning of your shop in Tennessee might make sense though.

The hot water tanks are usually pretty easy to spin, even when full. Do you have an impact that you can try to break it free? Also check the material. I don't think zinc is used. They're all pretty much aluminum, sometimes an aluminum/magnesium alloy, or just magnesium. Aluminum is not something you want in your water supply.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6550484/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6040147/

Edit: WmRMeyers beat me to it.

**hemmjo** · Jan 28, 2022, 01:32 PM

If your HW tank is close to or more than 10 years old, it is not usually worth while replacing the rods. If you want to try, you can use a ratchet strap and something like 2 x4 or 4x4 to keep the tank from rotating. Most anode rods I have worked with around here take a 1" socket. I have a 3/4" drive with a breaker bar I use to get them out. Some anodes are attached to the cold water inlet nipple. They are VERY DIFFICULT to remove, as your pipe wrench will often crush the pipe before they release. It is risky to take out old ones, some tanks are "glass lined" they have a ceramic coating inside, that it brittle and will chip off if you have to use lots of torque, or an impact on them. Then the chipped spots will rust through quickly even with new rods. If you use ratchet straps, they have to be wrapped around the tank at the very top or bottom, If you try to tighten around the center, you can crush the tank.

In regard to the heat pump water heater, the garage is a good place for that if it does not freeze there. Just remember when it makes hot water, it also make the surrounding air colder. They are not good inside a closet as some are installed. The more air that have access too the better. The warmer the air, they have access to the better. A garage installation is a good one.