44" Magnesium Anode Rod

This was installed easily by my husband. Water heater works great. The old anode rod was covered with calcium deposits. Glad he replaced it.

This was a good match for my GE SG40T water heater. Getting the >10yo original anode to come out of there required a high torque 1/2in impact driver. Price is right, and I appreciate they include the required hex socket. The separate sections will make it so much easier to remove, compared to the original one that I had to cut into several pieces while hoping it would not fall in. I am going to check this in two or so years to see how it holds up and will report back if there is anything interesting to share.

After watching some videos on increasing the longevity of my water heater, replacing the anode rod was the number one suggestion. To that end, I embarked on removal of the rod in my 3-year-old A.O. Smith water heater. This proved more daunting than I anticipated. The rod is secured by a large nut. First, I tried a regular socket, next a breaker bar, then a cheater bar attached to the breaker bar. The nut would not budge. I called A.O. Smith and the technician said the rod is tightened to 150 psi at the factory and I would need an impact wrench to remove. I purchased an impact wrench and that did the trick. However, since my original bar was not articulated, I had to hacksaw the bar to remove it as it was hitting my duct work halfway out of the tank. That took about a half hour as I did it manually to avoid sparks around a gas appliance. Turned out the original rod was in pretty good shape and required a lot of cutting. However, at this point, I was committed to installing the new rod because it was articulated, and I spent so much time and money to remove the old rod. The new rod was easy to install. I like the fact they included the proper socket and plumber's tape. I manually secured the rod with a breaker bar. Although this project turned out more complicated than anticipated, I will now be able to check the rod annually per the maintenance schedule in the owner's manual for my water heater. I can also remove this rod without cutting the rod. My hope is that I can significantly extend the life of my water heater. If I accomplish that goal this was all worth it.

First, this product shipped super fast. The included socket is a 27mm one and worked well with my AO Smith 50 gallon heater. The socket is solid and is of good quality. The included teflon tape was a bonus. The hardest part is removing the old Anode. Mine was 15 years old and needed a 6 foot breaker bar to break loose. I soaked the nut with plenty of penetrating oil for a week. Wiped it clean before breaking it loose. The replacement anodes was easy to install with the segmented sections as I had less than 3 feet clearance. The socket needs a 1/2" driver. Since all my tools were 3/8", I bought a 3/8" to 1/2" Husky adapter from Home Depot for $5.30 which worked great. Overall, very happy with this product. There were no instructions with the package and I got my information off the internet. Hence reduction in one star.

Looked and is working just as expected. Fairly easy to change out by ourselves.

Easy replacement for my tank and the provided socket with my 12V impact made removing a breeze.

The 27mm socket actually came in handy, the rod seems fine and worked great for my tight space. My water heater had a very right space with like a rubber fitting that I had to dig out. I couldn't originally fit the 27mm black deep impact socket I wanted to use. So it was very helpful in at least getting it started. Eventually was able to fit the deep socket with a long breaker bar and get it loose. Not an easy job if its the first time doing it on your water hater. Had to remove the gas flume venting and the cold water line (be sure gas if off if you do this). Unlike some of YouTube videos if you have a gas unit I highly suggest turning off the gas completely. Probably even better if you do it the night before you do the work to give the water time cool and if for some reason you have to remove any venting. The more water you can leave in the tank the better because the weight helps keep it from moving; so if its cool you can get away with only draining a couple gallons. With space I have there was no way to use an impact gun, so breaker bar and socket was only option. Go slow and take your time, it took me about 2 hours from starting to finally get the old rod out. Few moments I thought it wasn't going to happen because of my struggles get a socket on the old rod and the odd angle and space I had to work with. Only suggestion is on top of the plumbing tape add some pipe dope to the threads we putting the new one in.

This is answer to smelly hot well water. I didn't believe it either until after 5 years the hotwater started to smell, changed the anode, this is #2 when pulling old one, it was eaten so bad the SS cable was eaten thru at rod 2 to 3, now I am a believer.

hope it extends lifffe of tank