ONLY 6 MONTHS OLD--and this was my anode rod

[ForBruce]

Just replaced the anode rod in the trailers water heater. Hard to believe this (see photo ) is the result of only 6 months.

My home's water heater doesn't eat rod a fast as this

[Soundsailor]

Yep, looks familiar.

[Hoopy Frood]

Looks about right, depending on the water of course.

[JCR GD]

It's working!

[el Rojo]

Where have you been? LOL

[ForBruce]

ok-to all you NAY-SAYERS who will indicate that there is still some life left in the anode rods i present this argument.

From the photos you can see most of the erosion has taken place next to the 3/4 mounting. However the rest of the rod is only slightly worn. So this puts most of the STRESS (holding up the weight of the rod) at the most worn point.

Now if this was my house heater , with the rod vertical, i would say i have another 6months to a year to inspect again.

But, Because of the horizontal mount and the constant upward and downward motion of trailer over roads this worn area is being moved ever so slightly.

Now you know what happens when you bend a piece of metal back and forth ..eventually it breaks.

And what i'm not looking for is to try and fish it out of my heater after that happens.

so rather than having to inspect every year as i winterize the $10 i just spent is more like an ounce of prevention.

[ajg617]

Replaced mine before we left - same erosion point at 5 months.

[Scott'n'Wendy]

Like Hoopy said. It depends where you have been and the water in the tank...the rod is working as intended.
FYI, there is a solid steel core. It won't flex and break off in the tank. At least the ones I've seen.

[huntindog]

Like Hoopy said. It depends where you have been and the water in the tank...the rod is working as intended.
FYI, there is a solid steel core. It won't flex and break off in the tank. At least the ones I've seen.

That is true I have run mine down a lot more than that without incident on my last TT. I have yet to look at this ones. Probably will when it cools off. There are at least two different types, and one of them lasts much longer. IDR the specifics, but if you are concerned about the amount of wear , you might want to look into it.

[fez111]

Just replaced the anode rod in the trailers water heater. Hard to believe this (see photo ) is the result of only 6 months.

My home's water heater doesn't eat rod a fast as this

I got really fed-up with trying to clean that crap out of the bottom of the tank. I bought an "electronic anode rod". I installed a 110 Volt version and my brother installed a 12 volt DC version. Its only been a couple of years but at least I don't have to clean-out the mess in the tank. The AC unit was about $85 while the 12 volt version was slightly over $100.