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[–] [S] 40 points 3 weeks ago* (7 children)

An example from my field of expertise: Mixing different kinds of metals in wet environments causes the less noble one to corrode.

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  • [–] 38 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

    The phrase "sacrificial anode" comes to mind

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  • [–] 13 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

    That reminds me, I need to get a new one for my hot water tank. I've lived here 6 years, you're supposed to change them around 5.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

    Wait, that’s a thing?

    If it is, then my 10 yr old hot water heater isn’t happy.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 child)

    Yup, they stop your tank from rusting out. If you replace them regularly your tank will last virtually forever. If you don't, you'll be replacing the water tank before too long. A sacrificial anode costs around $50 bucks or so, a tank costs a lot more.

    Here's a video showing you how to do it. It's not very hard at all. https://www.thisoldhouse.com/heating-cooling-2/how-to-replace-an-anode-rod-on-a-water-heater

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  • [–] 9 points 3 weeks ago

    Yeah. The worst part is that a lot of engineers and technicians don't fully understand galvanic corrosion when specifying how to attach two different metals together.

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