hot water tank anode

[Art-n-Marge]

Like me, you must have a Suburban Water Heater.

It really depends on the condition of the water you plumb from the water source, and the amount of usage to determine replacement. Any recommendation of periodic replacement is not dependable IMO because of the varying conditions and usage. I had mine replaced during a maintenance trip to the RV center (about 2 years later), and they made the recommendation to have it changed. Unfortunately, they didn't save the old one even when I asked them to (I'm betting it was still good). So I don't trust service personnel any more and do this and most maintenance myself. If I were full timing, I'd probably empty and check my hot water heater about every two months. With that periodic checking you can probably determine the rate of wear for the rig and if you can wait longer or need to check more often.

You are using the best way to tell when it needs replacement. I check mine after every trip and have drained the tank since the drain and the anode are connected. After two years since it was last replaced it is still in good shape. It has white particles attached to it (calcium deposits) which means it's doing its job. It has a few pits like you described, but not to the extent the overall look is compromised. If yours is still in good shape then measure its length and write it down with a magic marker on the WH where you can see it for reference.

The biggest problem I see with the WH tank is that after it's emptied there are many calcium deposits on the bottom of the tank that need to be removed somehow. I plan to attach a small clear tube and wet vac out as much of this debris as I can what I get a chance. There are water hose attachments one can use but I don't think they will do as good a job since these deposits seem heavier than water and tend to settle on the bottom of the tank and not exit the WH especially if this attachment is blocking the drain hole.

If anyone has any better ideas on draining and cleaning a tank, then please post. I can't seem to use enough filters to keep deposits down, so I attribute them as normal.

I understand hardware stores carry replacement anodes which might be less expensive than buying at an RV shop. That's where I'm going when I need one.