Eau 44 Inch Flexible Magnesium Water Heater Anode Rod with Install Kit | Replacement Water Heater Anode Rod for GE, Rheem, Reliance, Richmond, Kenmore Water Heater with Install Kit

I am pleased with this product. Having the socket and teflon tape included was very nice. One thing, the part that screws in is painted pretty heavily. You want to ensure that when it screws in, it is grounded to the tank. I used a multimeter to ensure that the resistance between the cap and the tank was nearly zero Ohms after installation. I would purchase this again!

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.

This is a high quality item complete with a heavy duty 27mm-1/2 inch drive socket to remove the old and install the new anode with. I did not use the Teflon tape that was supplied with the anode opting to use PTFE Pipe Dope on the threads instead. I did need to cut the short lower portion of the anode off tho fit our water heater but that was an easy task with a mini-hacksaw.

bought this for a 9-year-old Rheem 40-gallon gas water heater after recently viewing YouTube videos that the anode rod needs to be replaced every few years to preserve the tank's life; i had never examined this Rheem's anode rod; the included socket worked (although its lightweight construction quality may not have long-term durability for many repeated uses???); i needed an impact wrench to loosen the factory installed rod, and it took a fair number of jolts by the wrench to loosen the factory nut; to my surprise upon examining the factory rod, it was still in fairly good shape after 9 years of municipal water supply usage (see photo); decided to re-install the factory rod and check it again in a couple of years storing this replacement rod until then; this kit's included teflon tape was very thin and worthless; re-installed the factory rod wih my own quality teflon tape and just a breaker bar--did NOT tighten it again with the impact wrench; (FYI, the factory rod is about 1/3 larger in diameter compared to this replacement rod; i was just barely able to remove the long factory rod from the tank within the height restriction of my basement ceiling)

just finished installing this. It was straightforward. I look forward to see how long this lasts and will provide an update later on how it performs.

Works perfectly , depending upon the hardness of your water these should be changed regularly we have to change ours every 2 years .. In our type of WATER there is not ODORS ...City Water and run thru EXPRESS WATER Polyphosphate and carbon filters .... 8 year water heater on 13th year looks good when drained yearly

Had everything I needed, and it worked very well.

Fit my old 50 gallon GE water heater. I decided to swap the old original in my 14 year old water heater. Unlike all the other Anode rod swaps I've seen, my original was still in pretty good shape. It was pretty easy to install with the 3 sections. Getting the old one out was a bit of a challenge, needed a pretty strong impact gun.

hope it extends lifffe of tank