Eau 44 Inch Flexible Magnesium Anode Rod, Water Heater Anode Rod for GE, Rheem, Reliance, Richmond, Kenmore Water Heater Including 1-1/16" Hex Socket Tool and Teflon Tape

hope it extends lifffe of tank

Nice fit, easy install and included socket which made for a great price!

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

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.