44 Inch Flexible Magnesium Anode Rod, Eau Water Heater Anode Rod for GE, Rheem, Reliance, Richmond, Kenmore Water Heater Including 27mm Hex Socket Tool and Teflon Tape

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

hope it extends lifffe of tank