TERRIBLE anode rod shape!

You think?

He spent all his time on Craigslist frugal forum.

Mine does not even have an anode rod. I never noticed any difference.

I think that most never check the anode. Just bring up the subject at a campfire and you will get some puzzled looks. Now how many here replace the anode rod in their home water heater?

They probably didn't even know it was there.

An anode rod is not needed in some water heaters. But it that heater HAS an anode rod, it needs one. I can all but guarantee that they wouldn't have spent the money on placing one if it wasn't necessary.

True enough, many people do not know about them and do not understand how or why anode rods need to be maintained. They are a sacrificial lamb, so to speak. Their purpose is to prevent corrosion of the tank itself (or perhaps the electric heating element), and they do that by being eaten up instead of the tank being eaten up. When they eventually are used up, the tank then begins to degrade and will eventually start leaking as holes form.

For what it's worth, it looks like your electric heating element is damaged, and THAT is probably why you kept tripping the breaker.

Lynnmor wrote:
I think that most never check the anode. Just bring up the subject at a campfire and you will get some puzzled looks. Now how many here replace the anode rod in their home water heater?

That is because there is none to replace.

Guy

Guy Roan wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:
I think that most never check the anode. Just bring up the subject at a campfire and you will get some puzzled looks. Now how many here replace the anode rod in their home water heater?

That is because there is none to replace.

Guy

In the home or RV? I have both.

Lynnmor wrote:

Guy Roan wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:
I think that most never check the anode. Just bring up the subject at a campfire and you will get some puzzled looks. Now how many here replace the anode rod in their home water heater?

That is because there is none to replace.

Guy

In the home or RV? I have both.

Buy a residential water heater with 6 yr guarantee and it will have an anode rod.
Buy one with a 10 yr guarantee and it will have a Longer, or bigger, or Extra anode rod

RV water heater...Suburban uses an anode rod because of steel tank that is glass-lined----just like a residential one

Atwood uses an aluminum alloy clad tank. No anode rod

Yeah time to replace anode and element. Super bad shape.

One other idea, I would replace the relief valve as well. There is probably all kinds of crud in the relief valve. If that fails and you have an overpressure event, that tank is going to launch itself somewhere with 120 degree water jet.You will probably go viral on YouTube.

If you can look into the tank that might be a good idea.