old guy wrote:
since the anode rod did it's job and most of it is gone, the part that is gone is more than likely sitting on the bottom of the water tank. get your self a clean out to stick into the tank and flush all that junk out of the tank, otherwise it will harden and that is not good for the tank. they cost about $6 each and well worth the investment.
This is one of the things I was wondering about. I stuck my finger in and noticed the remnants of the rod sitting in the tank, like sand. Where do I find such a "clean out"?