if you pull your anode and find you don't have one , then you need to check you still have a drop tube

my 40 gallon electric had both coils still working but when I bought the house I didn't know about electric hot water heaters and anodes my parents always had gas.

when the anode is gone it attacks the drop tube and when that is gone or fallen in you can't hardly get a 5 minute shower without it getting cold because the water starts mixing right away

Help me out here guys! It's an A.O. Smith Model ELJF 40 914 yet no mention of parts for that. Everything is an EOW 1 or 2. Any help?

I did flush it. A little sand but very little.

dip tube is probable plastic, easy to change. anode rod is a pain normally to change ( or remove if you have a water softener). change the elements. cheap and will save you headaches down the road.most electric tanks are made by the same company. in Tennessee. you should get 20 years out of it.

As I mentioned in an earlier post. Test your elements, if they test OK there is no need to change them. The top thermostat can sometimes fail, but not often. If the top part of the tank heats, up to the set temperature, the top thermostat will shut off the upper element and connect the lower thermostat and heater. Once the lower part of the tank comes up to the set temperature . It will disconnect the lower element. When you draw hot water off, the lower element will replace the cold water. In reality if you are not using a lot of hot water. A couple could probably get by with disconnecting the lower element entirely. Rather than heating 40 gallons, you would be using 20 gallons that is stratified at the top of the tank.The only problem would be on wash day, or some higher usage. I have done this on our own heater.

Lime buildup is another issue, If you decide to clean out the lime . very carefully remove your lower element . There is a pretty good chance that you will damage it, as it is imbedded in the lime chunks..Better have a new one in hand before you start. Once you have it out , find a coat wire hanger. Double it and bend a hook that fits in the hole. Hoke the lime bits out, then replace the element. Good luck old 243