e-tank question

D

David Abernathy

New member
I have set up an e-tank and have cleaned several skillets. I am using re-bar as my anodes. I have to take the anodes out (remove all the wires, also) and clean the anodes at least twice and most of the time more than twice. Is there a way or something I can use to stop this so the anodes do not get junk on them as often?
 
I would suggest a bigger anode, like a old mower blade or a piece of steel plate. re-bar is very small surface area.
 
I tried rebar once and tossed it after one use. Wasnt worth the hassle. now I use a larger piece of ss on each side and not only did it make it easier to use, it bumped the amperage on my charger and made it work faster
 
JustinR said:
I tried rebar once and tossed it after one use. Wasnt worth the hassle. now I use a larger piece of ss on each side and not only did it make it easier to use, it bumped the amperage on my charger and made it work faster
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Likewise with my attempt at rebar. My next anode was thin "welding steel" from the home store, then a cast iron skillet that had been ground down on the outside. I am now trying a stainless pie pan.
 
I also use rebar as it comes cheap, in my current system I have eight loops of bare solid 14 gauge copper wire around the inside of my Rubbermaid trash bucket. I slide 2' rebar through each loop and can lift each piece for easy cleaning. I wire brush them before each use, been using the same rebar all season.

The loops are connected on the outside of the bucket by sheathed stranded wire.
 
M_Osborne said:
I also use rebar as it comes cheap, in my current system I have eight loops of bare solid 14 gauge copper wire around the inside of my Rubbermaid trash bucket. I slide 2' rebar through each loop and can lift each piece for easy cleaning. I wire brush them before each use, been using the same rebar all season.

The loops are connected on the outside of the bucket by sheathed stranded wire.
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You are far more dedicated to the rebar than I was :-P My stainless pieces simply have to be wiped off with a rag every once and a while. Although the investment was a bit more I gave up on the rebar due to it being a pain in my butt
 
I use rebar because that's what I already had sitting around when I started collecting CI. 6 pieces of 2' rebar can clean two large pieces back to back without having to pull them out for cleaning. The current drops by about half by the end, but the effort to clean the anodes midway through usually isn't worth simply letting the piece being cleaned sit in the tank a little longer. Eventually I'll upgrade, but most likely that won't happen until I either come across something for free or can reuse something I already own that would otherwise be a hunk of scrap metal.
 
I can't speak highly enough of stainless steel anodes! I clean them after every 5 to 10 uses with a simple wire brushing. Most of the rust and debris just falls to the bottom of the tank. I recommend old stainless steel pot lids, serving platters, or baking sheets/pans since they are cheaply found alongside cast iron at thrift stores and flea markets.
 
DSBradley said:
I wonder if old mower blades could be used? I bet the shops that service them just toss them in the trash.
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Yes, I have heard of that, too.

---------- Post added at 05:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:48 PM ----------
BenjaminO said:
I can't speak highly enough of stainless steel anodes! I clean them after every 5 to 10 uses with a simple wire brushing. Most of the rust and debris just falls to the bottom of the tank. I recommend old stainless steel pot lids, serving platters, or baking sheets/pans since they are cheaply found alongside cast iron at thrift stores and flea markets.
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I'm using a SS pie plate that I found in a thrift store. I have never seen a SS sheet pan... only aluminum.
 
Here you go Dan. I couldn't find a SS the right size so I had one made leaving an inch air space around it in my oven. It's wonderful.

Image

Hilditch
 
Au contraire mon ami. It was just stripped and seasoned with two coats of canola because the lard was peeling. Used once for toll house cookies.

Hilditch
 
If you know someone in the Sheet Metal industry, or just visit a shop, they might give or sell you SS scraps from projects. They just put them in a bin for recycling.
 
I use lawn mower blades. they are generally free or cheap, they last along time, but they need to be cleaned regularly.
they may look polished but you have to remember there sacrificial so they slowly get eatn away and start to look they came from the bottom of the ocean after a while. so there no any easier to clean. I use a grinder with thick twisted wire wheel (Milwaukee 3 in. Brush Knot Cup Model # 48-52-5040) to clean about once every 2 weeks depending on what I clean. deepending how deep your tank is. I take 6 blades heatem up smashem flat, cut 2 in half, weld one piece to each to make 4 longer and weld a bolt to each to attach a wire to with 2 nut 2 washers. then when I need to clean them I can just un do the washers.
 
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