Customer Reviews for Rheem PROTECH 54 in. by 0.84 in. Diameter Flexible Magnesium Anode Rod for Electric and Gas Water Heaters

Easy to insert into water heater.

No problems

easy to install I recommend this product

Easy to order,quick delivery and easy installation

Rating provided by a verified purchaser

I have been using this for years. Extends the life of my heater elements.

Good item for fair price, solved my space problem. I cut it to size, but would rather do that than not having a genuine Rheem part.

This flexible rod was exactly what I needed with the limited overhead clearance I had. Good quality product with a stainless cable.

Part was easy to install. Had to shorten it to fit my water heater. Works fine.

Saves disconnecting and tilting the water heater to change anode rod. In other words by using the flexible verson you can replace the anode without having to worry about the ceiling a few feet above the water heater.

Deduct 1 star for hard to get off labels & glue, otherwise fine. I have a 5.5 year old 40 gal. GE gas water heater made by Rheem. GE doesn't list part numbers for it, neither does Rheem so wasn't sure of length to get but knew I had only 32" clearance above water heater. Without disconnecting everything, draining tank & tilting it on it's side i had to cut longer rod to 32" or get a flexible anode like this. Had to cut old one to get it out; be sure to clamp anode with vise grips while cutting so it doesn't fall in tank & wrap with rag so chips don't. Original rod turned out to be 44" long & in good shape but since I cut the old put the new one in . This Rheem anode has four 12" lengths connected by approximately 2" long stainless steel cables. At first I cut 10" off the last section but had trouble keeping the remaining 2" section from hanging away from center water heater flue pipe. Tough to get such small section to hang straight. Thought it wasn't good to have any part of anode touching inside of tank so I clipped off cable & short magnesium section which left me with 36" of magnesium; more than I would have had with a solid solid rod. As far as taking out the old rod, at 1st I tried a 1/2 drive 18" breaker bar with 2 ft pipe & water heater almost full of water. All it did was move the water heater around in its pan. Without a helper it's difficult to stop movement so I used my plugin electric Dewalt impact gun & it came out easily.

It was easy to install with a impact wrench. I had to cut off the last piece to fit my water heater by easily bending the linkage couple time.

A necessity when the overhead clearance is limited. I was pleased there were no labels or stickers to remove which are a nuisance. A label/sticker not fully removed will eventually emulsify in hot water and possibly plug the screens on sink taps.

I purchased this to replace the solid (non-segmented) anode rod that came with my new Rheem water heater. This will allow for easier replacement/inspection in years to come, due to the limited clearance I have above my water heater. The anode that came with my water heater was 50" in length, so I cut 4" off of this segmented anode rod to match. Quality seems fine. Time will tell on how long it stands up to my water conditions.

This anode rod installed easily despite a limited ceiling clearance of 15". I had to cut 10" off the bottom section to match the length of the original anode in my GE/Rheem water heater. Replacement of the anode, however, was a waste of time and money since the original still was 75% in tack after 15 years of exposure to Los Angeles area water.

Excellent value for the money.

had to cut but so far the best in size for the money good product

Shipping was quick and product was as needed.

Easier to insert in basement than a solid one. Magnesium provides better water quality than the aluminum one that came with water heater.

It fits into our basement water heater that has limited ceiling height.

Great replacement anode rode. I had to cut about 12 inches off the bottom to match the length of my original anode rod.

product is great! the flexible anode makes it easy to install in tight spaces, extends the life of your water heater. turns out i had enough room above my water heater to use the non flexible type but i just installed this one because its what i ordered. there are a few videos out there on how to change the anode. this one was a bit longer than i needed but i cut the end off with a hack saw to the proper length. you'll need a 1 and 1/19" socket and a pipe or breaker bar to get the old anode out. and some liquid sealant when installing the new anode.

Rating provided by a verified purchaser

Seems like good quality. Metal rod is thick and connectors between the links seem strong. Since my gas water heater is installed under a low ceiling, I needed this flexible unit to be able to insert it into the heater. Installation was no problem, once I managed to get the old one out. Of course, only time will tell how long it will last. As I have a "shorty" water heater, I had to cut off about 15 inches from the bottom, but 5 minutes with a hacksaw was all it took.

1) Magnesium, so I'd recommend it over Aluminum based, for health reasons 2) I didn't get it installed. The fancy fan on my heater was in the way. I tried to remove the fan but after removing the necessary screws it was 'held' too well together and I didn't want to force anything. 3) The OD of the anode is just a tad wide. If it had been a bit narrower I could have inserted it down in (I had the motor loose enough to move it a bit out of the way.

This worked perfectly for my 10 year old 40 gallon Rheem gas water heater. Although the original anode still had some life in it (we have city water), decided it should be replaced anyway. Stayed with magnesium even though more expensive. Exact fit other than length. Had to cut off about 9 1/2 inches from the bottom section. Very easy to do with a hack saw but have someone hold it for you or use a table top vice to hold it in place. To make sure I didn't have problems getting the old anode loose, I applied some Liquid Wrench to the old anode's thread area and let soak for a couple of days before trying to unscrew. Did have to pick up a 1-1/16 inch six-point socket which I found locally at an auto supply store. Shut off water and gas, opened a hot water faucet to relieve pressure, and also pressed on the pressure escape valve a couple of times on the tank. Drained off two gallons of water. Had a helper hold the tank just in case it might move. Used a piece of pipe with my socket wrench and had no problems getting the old anode loose. Only had about 30 inches of clearance above the tank so when removing the old anode I cut it into two pieces with the hacksaw. Tried to bend it but it was a little too stiff, or I was a little too weak! As one reviewer noted, if cutting this by yourself, use vice grips or something else to keep the bottom piece from falling back into the tank. Also use a rag around the bottom section over the hole to prevent dirt and metallic dust (from the sawing) from falling into the tank. After cutting, vacuumed all the extra dust etc. away from the top of the tank before installing the new anode. Checked threads in tank to make sure they were also clean and free of any debris. Applied several winds of teflon tape to new anode before installing and made sure the flexible anode was as straight as possible. Made sure threads were engaging properly and tightened it down securely. Turned everything back on (gas, water, etc.). Checked for leaks and checked again 24 hours later. Should be easier for the person doing it next time, assuming the heater lasts that long! Broke the old anode into several pieces (easy to do after it is out....or I suddenly got stronger!) and put it out with the trash. Not sure what to do with a 9 1/2 inch piece of magnesium though....I hear magnesium is good for the diet?? ;_) .......probably send to metal recycling. :-)

Fit perfectly in my water heater and received it quickly. Getting the old one out was slightly difficult. I did have to use some PB Blaster and raise the PSI on my air impact but after increasing the PSI, it loosened up and came out relatively easily.

Good quality product. Very convenient. Can be installed without haviing to tilt the water heater for lack of clearance above.

Great product. Direct fit. Who knew best to change every 6 to 7 years!

This was an easy to install product and I think is working ok.