Yeah, good call on checking the cold water first. Had a similar issue a few years back—thought for sure my heater was toast. Turned out, the city had been doing some pipe replacements down the street, and sediment got stirred up into our lines. Cleared up after a couple days. But if you're seeing actual flakes or chunks coming out when flushing...hate to say it, but that's usually game over. Better to bite the bullet sooner rather than deal with a flooded basement later.
Good advice there—especially about checking the cold water first. Seen a lot of folks panic-buying new heaters when it was just stirred-up sediment from city work or even neighborhood construction. But yeah, flakes and chunks are usually your heater's way of saying "I'm done."
One thing I'd add though: before you totally write off your heater, take a quick look at its age. Most standard tank heaters have about an 8-12 year lifespan. If you're already past that, then honestly, replacing it is probably your best bet anyway—rust or no rust. Even if you flush it out and things look better temporarily, older tanks tend to spring leaks at the worst possible times (usually weekends or holidays... Murphy's law, right?).
But let's say it's relatively newish—under 6-7 years old—and you're still seeing some rust-colored water but no big chunks yet. You might be able to squeeze some extra life out of it by swapping out the anode rod. That's the sacrificial metal rod inside your tank designed to corrode first, protecting the tank itself from rusting out. They're pretty cheap and fairly straightforward to replace if you're handy with basic plumbing tools.
I had a customer last year who thought his heater was toast because of rusty water. Turned out his anode rod was completely eaten away (looked like something you'd find on a shipwreck). We replaced it, flushed the tank thoroughly, and he got another couple years out of it easy.
Bottom line though: if you're seeing actual flakes or chunks consistently, that's usually corrosion inside the tank walls themselves—and unfortunately, there's no real fix for that other than replacement. Better safe than sorry when it comes to potential flooding damage down the road.
Good points on the anode rod. I've had similar experiences—sometimes replacing it does buy you a little more time. But one thing I haven't seen mentioned yet: has anyone noticed if water softeners seem to affect heater lifespan or corrosion issues? I've run into a few cases where softened water seemed to chew through anode rods faster... curious if others have seen the same thing.
"I've run into a few cases where softened water seemed to chew through anode rods faster... curious if others have seen the same thing."
Yeah, I've noticed something similar. From what I've learned so far, softened water can actually speed up corrosion because it tends to be more aggressive toward metal parts—especially magnesium anode rods. The sodium ions in softened water seem to react differently, causing the rod to deteriorate quicker than usual.
One thing my mentor suggested was switching to an aluminum or aluminum-zinc alloy rod if you're using a softener. Apparently, these types hold up better under those conditions. We recently swapped one out for a customer who had softened water, and so far it's holding up pretty well.
Has anyone tried switching rod materials like this? Curious if you've noticed any difference in lifespan or corrosion issues afterward...
I've definitely seen softened water eat through magnesium rods faster. Switched to an aluminum-zinc rod in one of my rentals about two years ago, and it's been holding up noticeably better. One thing though—aluminum rods sometimes leave a weird smell in the hot water at first. Usually clears up after a couple weeks, but just a heads-up if you decide to switch...
