While DW was out I pulled the anode rod from the water heater to check it. The previous water heater only lasted six years and the $1,200 replacement cost (installed) got my attention so I want to stay current on the maintenance with this one. I flush it every other month, a 15-minute job, and keep a log on the water heater. At this point the water heater is one year and one month old.
Being the first time for me doing this I took my time and the whole thing took a bit over an hour. Turn off the water supply to the water heater, turn the gas to the "vacation" setting, open the upstairs hot water valves, and open the utility room hot water valve to let as much drain as will by gravity. Then hook up the battery powered water pump with a couple of hoses from the water heater to the sink and empty about ten gallons (roughly measured with a bucket) from the water heater to get the water level well below the top of the tank.
This is where the investment in that
Milwaukee 1/2" impact wrench and a set of impact sockets paid off, in loosening the anode so I could get it out. The factories use trained gorillas to install those so they won't leak and I'd seen youtube videos of people using two guys to hold the tank while a third turns the wrench, or lashing the tank to the wall to keep it from turning while they struggle to loosen the anode bolt, using three-foot cheater bars, hammering the wrench, and all the rest. The impact wrench took about 15 seconds. Oh, and for those who see the videos warning against using an impact wrench for fear of cracking the "glass lining" of the tank, the manufacturer (A.O. Smith) specifically recommends using an impact wrench.
The rod was in pretty good shape, although covered with calcium. I took that outside and with a wire wheel on the angle grinder got the worst of it off. Used a bit of pipe joint compound on the threads, and reinstalled with a torque wrench to 90 ft./lbs. The book says between 60 and 120 so I split the difference. Made a note of it on the log and will check again it in about 18 months. Oh, and 90 ft./lbs. was just about the point where the water heater itself began to turn.
So far no leaks!
A note to folks who have never had the need to do this. I never did either until we moved here. The water is hard so we use a water softener which adds a bit of salt to the water, which makes it a bit more corrosive. In 18 years here this is our fourth water heater including the one that came with the new house. Where we lived before it was normal for a water heater to last 20+ years with no maintenance at all. Clearly things are different here and more attention needs to be paid to water heater maintenance. Hopefully keeping up with the maintenance will allow it to last a reasonable length of time.