What Is a Water Heater Anode Rod and How Does It Work? Anode rods are a long metal rod, usually made from magnesium, aluminum ...

A water heater anode rod is one of the most important parts of a standard hot water heater. But what exactly do they do? This article answers that question.

Q: Recently, you wrote about replacing a water heater’s drain valve. A friend told us that we should also check the anode rod. Is this worth checking? If so, how do we do that?