Just finished swapping the anode rod on my 2010 tank and learned a lot

I had a similar scare with my 12-year-old Rheem unit last summer. My basement ceiling is only about six feet high, so I couldn't even use a standard solid rod. I ended up getting one of those segmented magnesium rods that looks like links of sausage so I coud feed it in piece by piece.

One thing I did differently was skipping the Teflon tape. I’ve always heard that the threads need a solid metal-to-metal connection to the tank for the sacrificial process to work right, though maybe those Corro-Protec powered ones are wired differently. When I was cranking on my 24-inch breaker bar, I acutally had to have my son hold the tank steady becasue the whole heater started spinning and I was worried about snapping the copper flex lines. It’s definitly a relief once that smell clears up. I waited untill the water started looking a little tea-colored during the annual flush before I finally got the courage to open it up. If you haven't yet, maybe check your T&P valve too while you're messing with it, since those tend to seize up around the same time the anode dies.

I acutally tried the cheater pipe method on my 15-year-old AO Smith, but I nearly tipped the whole tank over because the base wasn't bolted down. I ended up renting a cordless 1/2-inch impact wrench from the local hardware shop, and it was a night and day difference. The vibration from the impact driver breaks that calcium bond much more effectively than raw torque ever could, and I didn't have to worry about shearing the nipple off the tank or twisting the copper pipes above. Instead of a powered rod, I stuck with a standard aluminum/zinc alloy rod to fight the smell. One thing I learned the hard way: if you're working on a unit that old, check the drain valve first. When I went to drain the tank to lower the water level, the plastic factory valve snapped right off in my hand. I had to replace it with a full-port brass ball valve before I could even get to the anode. If your tank is over a decade old, those plastic components are basically brittle glass at this point.

I've swapped plenty of these, and the Milwaukee M18 Fuel high-torque impact is the only way to go if you don't want to wrestle the tank. For a 14-year-old unit, you're lucky the threads didn't seize. Since you went with the Corro-Protec, keep an eye on that LED indicator; I've seen those power bricks fail after a minor power surge. While you're working on it, ditch the factory plastic drain valve for a 3/4-inch Apollo full-port brass ball valve. On a tank that old, you've likely got two inches of sediment at the bottom that the stock valve can't clear. It’ll make your annual maintanence way faster.