Ruud (Rheem) PE52 hot water heater anode?

[rwfisher]

Has anyone replaced the sacrifical anode on a Ruud (Rheem) PE52 or equivalent hot water heater?  I don't see an obvious place for it, and i fear it may be one of those deals where it was installed before they pumped in the foam installation (and if that's the case, I'm not sure I want to cut up the top of the water heater to get at it!)

Thanks, and my humbliest apologies to the samurai for attempting to post this somewhere else....

[Cactus Bob]

THE PATS LIST SHOWS NO PART # FOR THE ROD . SO I DONT THINK THERE IS ONE :X

[rwfisher]

Well, that makes my life a lot easier.  I have to do some troubleshooting (either my dip tube is busted, or an element or thermostat is out), and thought I'd replace the anode while I'm at it. 

C'est la vie.....

[RegUS_PatOff]

How old is the water heater ?

here's some info from another forum:

plastic dip tubes:

A: I think there's an excellent chance you have a disintegrating dip tube. That's the plastic tube that carries cold water to the bottom of the tank, to keep it from mixing with the hot, which rises. About 1993, the company that makes most of the water heater industry's tubes decided to save a few pennies by changing the formula. Bad idea. A certain number -- nobody knows how many or which water heaters they went into -- started coming apart. Sometimes you find the bits in your faucet aerators, as well.

 

also: I thought I saw a website that had a metal dip tube / anode combination...