The Anode Rod

As with many household problems, this one snuck up on us. The water coming out of our faucets was not crystal clear anymore. “The town must be cleaning out the pipes,” I said (and hoped), but much to my chagrin, the problem not only continued, it got worse.

Over the next few days, the water developed a sour odor. This set Kathy (who has a much more refined sense of smell than I) off the edge. “You. Are calling. A plumber.”

After she left for work, however, I didn’t call a plumber. I called the town waterworks in the vain hope that they were indeed cleaning out the pipes.

They weren’t.

It was about this time that I noticed that the cold water came out clear. It was the HOT water that was dirty.

Uh-oh. Water heater = $$$$$$

I did a Google search and discovered the most likely culprit.

The anode rod.

The anode rod is a replaceable component of the water heater which protects the steel walls of the tank from rusting out and causing a flood. In layman’s terms, the anode rod is made out of a metal that is “tastier” to the water (which causes rust) than the steel tank. Instead of the tank rusting out, the rod literally gets eaten alive.

It’s kinda like a lightning rod for rust.

I looked up how to replace it and got to work.

The video shows the amount of leverage that’s needed to uncork one of these. They’re not kidding.

When I finally removed the rod, my diagnosis was confirmed. The rod was crumbling away and the resulting sediment was in our system. I replaced the rod with a new one and set out to clean up the tank. Flushing the tank with fresh water eventually cleaned it out, and Kathy and I once again had crystal clear hot water (without a plumber’s bill).

The anode rod is an elegant solution to a nasty problem. It sacrifices itself to protect the integrity of the tank.

As we approach the week leading up to Good Friday and Easter, we are reminded of Passover.

The Passover sacrifice protected the households marked with its blood.

Jesus, the ultimate Passover lamb, likewise sacrificed Himself so that the judgment for our sins would not fall on us, but stick to Him.

Joe

Exodus 12:1-13
While the Israelites were still in the land of Egypt, the LORD gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron: “From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you. Announce to the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice, one animal for each household. If a family is too small to eat a whole animal, let them share with another family in the neighborhood. Divide the animal according to the size of each family and how much they can eat. The animal you select must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no defects.

“Take special care of this chosen animal until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then the whole assembly of the community of Israel must slaughter their lamb or young goat at twilight. They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the sides and top of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the animal. That same night they must roast the meat over a fire and eat it along with bitter salad greens and bread made without yeast. Do not eat any of the meat raw or boiled in water. The whole animal—including the head, legs, and internal organs—must be roasted over a fire. Do not leave any of it until the next morning. Burn whatever is not eaten before morning.

“These are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed, wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the LORD’s Passover. On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn son and firstborn male animal in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the LORD! But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.


Isaiah 53:2-6
My servant grew up in the LORD’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.

He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!

But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.


Matthew 26:1-16
When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, “As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” At that same time the leading priests and elders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas, the high priest, plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and kill him. “But not during the Passover celebration,” they agreed, “or the people may riot.”

Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head. The disciples were indignant when they saw this. “What a waste of money,” they said. “It could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.”

But Jesus, aware of this, replied, “Why criticize this woman for doing such a good thing to me? You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.