How to preserve the life of your RV Water Heater | Anode Rod Replacement

What is an anode rod?

RV water heaters have a short metal rod made of a mix of magnesium and aluminum called an anode rod that helps protect the water heaters from corrosion. The anode rod prevents the hot water heating element and internal components from corroding by electronically attracting all the minerals, such as lime and calcium, to the anode rod and corroding itself. Thus it is a sacrificial anode rod, or as I like to think, a "Jesus" Rod.

When do you change an anode rod?
While some "sticks and bricks" water heaters also have an anode rod, they don't need to be changed as often as they are much bigger in size, capacity and have a consistent source of water. In addition, an RV water heater is typically between 10 - 12 gallons and has varying water quality, thus making an RV Anode rod have a short lifespan. Most manufacturers recommend changing an RV anode rod once a year, depending on your usage and water quality. As full-time RVers, we change our rod about every six months as we constantly change the quality of our travel.

If you notice your hot water doesn't seem to last as long as it used to, this could be another indication it's time to change the anode rod. And don't forget to mark down the date of your anode change in your maintenance log to keep track of how long it has been since a change.

Tools needed to change the anode rod:
Replacement Anode Rods - https://amzn.to/3z8FOjZ
Plumber Teflon Tape - https://amzn.to/3z8FOjZ
Socket Wrench
1-1/16" Socket - https://amzn.to/2XhaFOg
RV Water heater tank rinser - https://amzn.to/2XiJIJK

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