Hi All
Here was my "I should of spent $20" and replaced my old Anode, but instead I didn't and ended up spending $140
Family and I decided to go camping, went to the campsite and hooked up like normal didn't have any water coming out of the hot side... Tried to purge the lines didn't work. Read about things and most advice was to check the anode in the hot water heater. It takes a 1 and 1/16 inch socket to remove the anode. Removed the old one and only had a wire left!
Started washing out the hot water tank and had all kinds of sediment coming out.
Put in a new anode and tried the water still no hot water, bypassed the water heater, and had water coming out.
I thought the worst that my hot water heater was shot! they run in the $500 range. Which seems odd because you could get a house sized one for 200-300.
Besides that i removed the old fittings located around the water heater bypass and was going to clean them out if able to.
That didn't work the lines going into the cold water and hot water on the ball valve that lets the water flow into the cold and into the hot were stopped up with sediment.
Ended up having to replace water heater H pex plumbing, all those fittings I was able to get at home depot , and a woman that ended up helping me knew more about plumbing than the guys that worked there did! Which impressed me! I used the white Pex tubing just because. It ended up being 4 elbows, 2 T's, 3 ball valves, and 2 male adapters. I already had the cutting tool and the crimper. This ran $120 for the fittings. If I would've chosen the sharkbite only type fittings it would of been more!
Needless to say after reinstalling all the plumbing and then trying it out it worked! I've since read that the Anode should be replaced every year! and removed during the winter. I will be sure to do this as to not make the money wasting mistake again.
Hope this helps someone to decide to perform proper maintenance on their hot water heater!