lifehack

Is Your Anode Getting You Into Hot Water?

Jeff

I can’t tell you how many times I have replaced hot water heaters due to failures of the liner and/or leakage. I was always puzzled by the fact we can send someone to the moon and return them safely, but we can’t (or should I say won’t) manufacture a hot water heater to last multiple decades. I would actually shoot for a life time, but I don’t want to be too greedy.

Anyway, four years ago I replaced a hot water heater. I was told to expect that it would last between 6 and 8 years. I recently had my water softener serviced and the technician climbed to the top of my hot water heater. I had never seen my technician do that before!

I asked what he was doing since this had never been done and he said: “I’m going to check your anode rod.” I almost remained silent not wanting to sound too ignorant, but I couldn’t help myself. I asked him what the anode rod did.


hot water heater anode in parts diagram.

Picture Via

He told me to wait a minute and he brought in a brand new anode rod from the truck and put it on the floor of my garage. Then he retrieved the anode rod from the hot water heater and put it next to it.


New and old hot water heater anode compared side-by-side.
When new, these should be the same size.
That’s how much has been eaten away over four years.

 

He explained that the old anode rod was once the same size and over the years, it had gotten eaten away. He quickly added that this was a good thing and it was part of the grand design. The anode rod draws chemicals out of the water and they cling to the rod and cannibalize the anode instead of rusting the hot water heater.

The anode rod is the most important factor in determining the life of your water heater. An anode rod is a steel core wire surrounded with one of three different metals. These metals include aluminum, magnesium, and zinc. The rod is screwed into the top of your water heater and protects your water heater from rusting.

https://www.aricoplumbing.com/waterheater-anode-rods

I had never heard of this before and wondered why. Perhaps the hot water heater installers didn’t want us to know. It was further explained that every hot water heater has one of the sacrificial anodes (cool term).

Bottom Line: The smaller the anode rod over time, the more rust it can keep from corroding your hot water heater tank. I now have a maintenance schedule to check it every two years.

 

Lifehack: A Well-Placed Dot

Jeff

Sometimes a very simple thing can help make life a bit easier. I find a well-placed dot has the potential to make my daily activities more efficient. Below is just one example. The two vials below are the same shape and size and I use them every day to distribute vitamins for my wife and myself.

By looking at the tops of the containers, it is easy to see which is which. BTW, I also have a dot on the bottom of the pill container that has the dot on the top. In that way, I make sure the tops and bottoms stay together to avoid any cross-contamination of medications and vitamins.


Of course the mark doesn’t have to be a dot. It can be a small triangle or any tag. Any marking that helps the user decide between two choices can be helfpul.

Take this plug for example. Notice that the larger, wider prong (neutral) is on the right. And there is no marking on the plug itself.


For the record, here is the other side of the same plug, this time with the wider prong on left to show the other side of the plug.


I use a hot water kettle almost every morning and when I am in the middle of my morning regimen, sometimes without my glasses on, having a mark on the side of the plug that should be up when plugging the kettle into the outlet saves me time and helps expedite my routine.


It doesn’t have to be pretty (which is a good thing), just functional.


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Take this legacy iPad USB connector that I still use with my aged device. The USB connector on the left needs to be aligned just right with the wall plug adapter.


Like any USB plug-connector, there is a part that is open and a part that is blocked. Notice the upper, light (white) piece of plastic on top.


I placed a red triangle on the top part of the plug.


The USB cord is now much easier to match up when connecting.



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When driving home at night, I use my remote garage door opener as I am approaching and if it is dark, it is not always easy to locate the button for my car’s bay. A white piece of tape on the remote, helps me find the correct button.


Do you have use for a dot, triangle or other mark to ease or expedite your routines?

 

NOTE – Before anyone else beats me to it, I will be the first to admit that this is not earth-shaking news and perhaps many JBRish readers have already figured this out. If you have other unique, useful marking solutions, why not leave it in a comment below!

 

See previous Lifehack posts HERE


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©Jeffrey B. Ross – 2018 — JBRish.com


Lifehack: Lid-erature

Jeff

Did you ever visit a friend’s house and find that they use something in a unique or creative way? Or perhaps you see something demonstrated online showing how an item considered trash can be turned into a useful tool. I think everyone likes to learn about Lifehacks and how to use things creatively.

I use and/or have developed a number of Lifehacks. I haven’t shared one in quite a while so I hope you find these interesting, if not useful.

Many of our “bottles” and jars are now made from recyclable plastic, but most ot their lids, however, are not recyclable. We save some of the lids in a variety of sizes and repurpose them for alternative uses around the house.

This peanut butter container, for example, has a sturdy red lid that is a nice size.


Peanut butter jar with red lid

We use the lids as a snack dish of sorts to hold candies or nuts that we enjoy while watching Netflix.


pb jar lid with mms

Some lids can be used to hold specialized small portions such as this lid-container holding three morning vitamins.


small lid with pills

Then there are times we have a partially filled bottle of wine in the refrigerator. Since red wine is best serve at or near room temperature, we use lids from plastic containers to cover the wine while it warms.


Wine glass with lid

This particular lid was from a container of cheese crumbles.


cover lid with wine bottle


Do you use container lids in creative ways? Leave a comment below!

 

JBRish.com originally published this post – ALL Photography Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross, ALL Rights Reserved.

See previous Lifehack posts HERE

Backseat Triplet Fight Stopper – Life Hack

Jeff

Many parents will probably recognize this situation and the need for a resolution. What would you do if you had triplets in the back seat of a car and they often got into a scuffle? Well, Jack White seems to have arrived at a solution some refer to as genius. What do you think?

Triplet Anti Fight Hack
Triplet Anti Fight Hack by Jack White

Via Buzz Feed News


See more JBRish humor posts here HERE

Lifehack – Keeping Plugs Together

Jeff

A life hack (Lifehack) is an innovation using easily available components to solve one of life’s annoyances. I am a big fan of life hacks and the one below is no exception. I have been using this one for years. Look at the picture to see how the male and female plugs are united. The tension on both ends of the cord keeps them from becoming unplugged. This has saved me much frustration.


Keeping male and female plug parts together

via Solving Life’s Simpler Problems With Hacks