Honestly, I’m not totally convinced that missing a year of maintenance is always a big deal. I’ve let mine go longer than I should have (mainly because I was trying to save a bit), and yeah, the anode rod was rough but it didn’t seem to cause any major issues. No weird smells, nothing leaking... Maybe it’s just luck or maybe my water isn’t as hard as some places? I get that the rotten egg smell is a thing for some folks, but I haven’t run into it yet. Sometimes I wonder if the maintenance schedules are just super conservative to sell more parts and services. I’m all for taking care of stuff, but sometimes it feels like overkill when you’re on a tight budget.
I get where you’re coming from—maintenance schedules can feel a bit much, especially when everything seems fine. Last year, I skipped my solar water heater’s annual flush because life got busy and, honestly, I just forgot. Didn’t notice any immediate problems either, but when I finally got around to it, there was a surprising amount of sediment buildup. My efficiency dropped a bit (water wasn’t heating as fast), but nothing catastrophic.
I think water quality really does make a difference. My neighbor’s system clogged up after skipping just one year, but their water’s super hard. Sometimes the “rules” are written for worst-case scenarios, but it’s tough to know if you’re rolling the dice or not. I try to stick close to the schedule now, just because I want this thing to last as long as possible... but yeah, it can feel like overkill when money’s tight.
My neighbor’s system clogged up after skipping just one year, but their water’s super hard.
That’s the kicker—hard water is a real wildcard. I’ve seen tanks last years with soft water and then, next street over, someone’s dealing with scale after just a few months. If you’re rolling the dice, at least check the anode rod when you do get around to it. That thing tells you a lot about what’s going on inside. Skipping a year isn’t always the end of the world, but if you start hearing weird noises or see cloudy water, don’t wait—flush it ASAP.
Skipped a year once myself, thinking, “How bad could it get?” Well, turns out pretty bad—came back to a layer of scale thick enough to scrape with a spoon. Like you said,
My anode rod was basically eaten away, too. Learned the hard way that even if nothing seems wrong, stuff’s happening inside that tank. Now I just mark it on my calendar and don’t mess around.“hard water is a real wildcard.”
Honestly, I get the urge to stay on top of it, but I’ve found that with a good pre-filter and softener, missing a year didn’t wreck my system. Maybe it’s just our water, but I only saw minor scale. Guess it really depends on your setup and local water.
