Hot water heater anode rod life

[Real McCoy]

Our new camper water heater anode rod was almost eaten up when I pulled it to drain the heater. We had the same basic 1 year life on the 2 motor homes we had prior to this camped. That seems odd to me. How long do others get from a Anode rod?

 

[flybouy]

Anode life is directly correlated to water hardness. It depends on where you source of water comes from and of course the number of gallons used. You have 2 options, 1. Replace with an aluminum anode or 2. Replace with the "standard" zink anode. Given the low cost of the standard anode my choice would be to buy two zink anodes for the maximum protection keeping one as a spare. Draining the water heater between uses will also reduce the anode consumption.