We recently purchased a 2006 Silverback that has been sitting for a number of years in the previous owners driveway. We have taken it out three times and while nothing too major has occurred we have come home each time with a list of small repairs as to be expected. In addition i have been working through all the recommended maintenance items i read about on this forum (Thanks for the great education) Today I decided to clean out the HW heater and put in a new anode rod. Glad I did. The old one was non existent. Worn down to the thin wire. My question is do I need to worry about any possible damage to the unit while the non existent rod was not there to do it's job. Is there anything I should be watching for? The unit works well giving us good hot water on both electric and gas. I just worry there could be another problem I could avoid with a little more preventative maintenance.
The purpose of the anode rod is to attract chemicals to it rather than the tank. Sometimes you'll hear the phrase, a sacrificial rod. May be nothing wrong however I would drain the tank and inspect using an inspection camera for pitting inside the tank.
You will know when it won't hold water due to a crack or whole. I wouldn't worry about it, It would take longer then that to happen. You have to remember it was in and did it's job, most rods will last 2 to 3 years depending on the hardness of the water. Get a new rod after cleaning. If you rinse it out and see flakes of rust coming out then you could worry. Not the normal white crud but RUST.
I did the same thing to my water heater a few weeks ago. Bought my trailer last May and just now decided to check it. Anode rod was just like yours, non existent. I just flushed it out good and replaced the anode rod. Works perfectly now, better than ever, and no leaks. A LOT of white flakes came out but no rusty junk. You should be fine.
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