Sacrificial Anode Replacement

Here is a pic of my sacrificial anode after the first year of use. My unit was manufactured in Nov. 2011, purchased new in June 2012. Do I need to replace the anode?

According to my RV tech, you do not have to replace your anode until all of the sacrified metal is gone.  That being said, do what you are most comfortable doing.  After all, a new anode is about $14.  Safe Travels.

I'd replace it myself    ...but I am curious why the deteriorization appears to be concentrated near the outboard end of the anode. I have a 20012 model 177 and bought it in October of last year. I pulled the anode a few weeks ago and it had some pot holes here and there but well distributed along the shaft. Mine is still good to go    ...but I bought a 2-pack of replacement Suburban magnesium anodes anyway, just to have on hand.

'Slogger

Bah! Its perfectly fine.  At that rate, you've got years of life in it yet.

The female threaded connection on my heater appears to be steel-iron.  Then galvanic action would be concentrated near the wall end of the rod.  I replace my anode rods before the central 'wire' shows.  One rod broke the central wire and rattled around in the heater until I could get a 'grabber' tool into the heater and carefully pulled the remaining piece of the rod out of the heater.

I also found out that the rod would leave a grey magnesium sludge in the tank.  The sludge would then flush out in the spring clogging the sink and shower faucets.  So after removing the rod, I flush out the heater tank through the rod opening. Then I replace the anode rod each fall with a simple plastic plug which keeps debris out and creatures from crawling into the heater.