Well I think the OP has been answered. Vulcaneer did a good job on the isolation issue. So now I got the urge for a hi jack. :B
I am old hinky and paranoid about not putting the anode rod back in the Suburban. However my guess is that if I throw it in the trash, I would never suffer the ill effects of doom and gloom as described. I ran a thread on this eons ago, and there are more than one folk that throw that thing away and camp happily ever after. And yes it has been 14 years and I have not checked the rod in my stick home water heater.