I pulled the rod out of our home water heater, just to see what kind of condition it's in after nine years. This rod is 48" long and it still in really good shape. It certainly has sacrificed some of the metal, but I'd say 80% of it is still there. The soft water here and the fact that the rod is so large, I believe this water heater anode will not need to be replaced for the lifetime of the tank.