Ha - here's new and 80% consumed anodes side by side:
The crap looking rod on the right still has about 2 years of life left in it. But that's why I like to replace them around the 5 year mark. It ensures the tank remains really rust free.
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That looks beautiful compared to the one I pulled out of the camper. It looked like a dipstick and was only 4 years old when we bought it. It also will get used up faster with heavy use.
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Depends on the quality of water.
BTW, in addition to chlorine, water with a lot of lime in it forms carbonic acid when heated. Which also attacks metal.
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We bought it in San Diego by the way. Maybe something in the water out there.
I just did a Google search and it says that SoCal has the hardest water in the United States
Well, I'm in SoCal and have been known to take a quick pee while body surfing... 
Absoultely true. The tap water down here is also the worst tasting ever.
Geez...that looks scary. I'm setting a repeating 4-year reminder in my calendar to replace the anode w/a new .9 anode, and we'll see how it looks at that point. All the water in our home passes through a water softener before getting to the water heater...removes a ton of minerals we have in our water, but adds salt, obviously. Is the salt in the softened water going to make the anode degredation faster/worse? Seems like the salt will not be good for the water heater.
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That seems reasonable since salt is Na and Cl, but my aunt had a water softener, so maybe not.
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@danabw - you're dealing with carbonic acid driven deterioration of your water heater. A periodic flushing and anode replacement schedule is a good idea.
A little worse. Salt provides chloride.
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Really depends upon what part of the country you are in. Often a HP is dramatically less expensive.
Another vote the HP. Right now you can get tax credits AND rebates on a HP water heater through the Inflation Reduction Act. You can also get up to $4k to run the electrical to a HP water heater if needed.
If I had to buy a replacement right now, there is no way I would buy anything except a HP water heater. This is your opportunity - don't blow it. Head over to GreenBuildingAdviser and search for the discussion thread on HP water heaters, and go to the end of that VERY long thread for the model number of a very quiet one.
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Where is this documented?
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You don't tug on Superman’s cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger
And you don't mess around with Jim.
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Ah, but appears there is an income limit...from Consumer Reports article on inflation reduction act:
- If your household income is more than 150 percent of your state’s median income, you are not eligible for these rebates.
We are over that limit. So looks like we would not be covered.
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Fascinating thread. I've been consuming a lot of this type of info since our water heater has a date of 1996 on it. I know it's just a matter of time. 
I have pretty much decided on just replacing the gas-fired tank with another gas-fired tank. I'm handy enough to do all the plumbing and electrical for a tankless, but in the rare occasions we need it, it's nice to have hot water if/when the power goes out. That's not unheard of during Michigan winters, even in the suburbs.
Of course in the case of a power outage, I could go with a heat pump or tankless and focus on power generation, which would solve the problem of heating as well... 
Whatever the case, we love our recirculation pump that pushes hot water to our second floor on motion in the bathroom. Unfortunately for me, I burned a little WAF capital and unplugged it to use the shop vac by the furnace the other day and was reminded the next time my wife took a shower that I forgot to plug it back in. Oops!
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3D print one 
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So easy to spend.
So freakin' hard to earn.
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The ability to use this really depends on where you live. Basically, if you're in a high median income state, the odds of being able to use it are substantially higher.
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Yes, there are income limits for the REBATES, but not for the TAX CREDITS. For some it is worth it to look up your state median income. I was shocked at how high it was for my state.
Some HP water heaters have apps, and some integrate them into HE so you can get infinite control. Exampe:
For the tax credits, you can get a credit for up to 30% of the cost of electric panel or circuit upgrades for new electrical equipment, with max $600/year credit. So if the cost of electrical upgrades is $1k, you get $300 back.
In addition, you can get a tax credit of 30% of the cost (materials + labor) of the heat pump water heater itself, up to $2k/year tax credit.
which is referenced by:
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Tax credits apply to everyone.
Rebates may depend on where you live.
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This was my thinking also, so I installed a non-powered gas WH. Yes, if the power goes out for greater than 48 hours, I will have hot water. I guess that is useful, but I regret the decision.
If the outage is less than 48 hours, I would have hot water even with a HP tank, because it stays hot in the tank for a long time.
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A powered anode rod is supposidly the way to go. I'm not an expert on the subject and the primary reason for changing my magnesium anode to a powered anode was to eliminate the sulfer smell. However, I of course didn't want to introduce problems by doing that and so I did my due diligence.
Acording to this site (which may be associated with Coro-Protec in some way), a powered anode is better at protecting your tank than magnesium or aluminum anodes and is maintinance free. They're not the only manufacturer however, A.O. Smith also sells them for residential water heaters, so it's not like this is some kind of scam. Rheem support was also aware of their effectivness when I asked about substituting them for the magnesium rod. Their response that it would not void the warranty speak volumes about the effectiveness of powered anodes.
Seems like they are generally better, but because of the cost (and probably also due to the longer periods between new water heaters and support for all the related industries that are involved in flood repair and removal/installation), water heater manufactuers don't include powered anode rods with their water heaters.
Another point of reference I remember looking at before purchasing is here.
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They are at least as effective as magnesium/aluminum anodes. The issue that I used to have with them was one of cost.
Powered anodes cost about $100. There was a time when metal anode rods were about $10-15. So changing rods every 5 years would cost about $50 in the span of 20 years, which is the life-span of a powered anode.
Now, metal anodes are about $30-40. So 3 changes would cost more than what a powered anode costs. So it makes sense to go with a powered anode.
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