Any Plumbers here? Swench / impacts vs anode rod

[Nobody Special]

Need to replace anode rods in a water heater. :50cal:
Reasons are obvious. Persistence is useless.

I tried:
Breaker bar w. 3ft cheater
DeWalt corded impact
Hilti cordless impact
Swench 500

Does Rheem weld these things in?
Any tricks?
Kinda dumb to replace a 4 year old heater, no?


Lil guy is *supposed* to do ~500 ft lbs.

 

[Nobody Special]

Never mind. Got it.

Swench was in position "1", and I forgot about the adjustment so I maxed it out at "3", gave it a few more pops, and it was enough for the breaker bar to turn with a little effort.

 

[Oldmanb777]

People don't realize a water heater can last almost forever if you maintain it. I have 2 that are 30 yrs old and one 23 yrs and one 18 yrs. Change out the rod every 5 yrs or so depending on your water quality. flush it occasionally. I did ruin a tank once replacing it. I guess that's the risk. I've had plumbers and others tell me they only last 5-7 yrs. Cash cow for them. I have rental property, i can't afford professional plumbers like that.