I'd bet that a 12 year warranty tank has both a combo anode and a hex
head anode. The only one that's likely practical to inspect is the hex
head, but it should give you a good idea of what's going on inside.

see here for PM ideas...

http://waterheaterrescue.com/pages/W...gevity/water-h...

I'd bet that the pry-off cap hides the hex head anode. I'd also bet
that you'll find it's in good shape but it doesn't hurt to look. I also
pulled one out of a water heater I had installed a year ago just
because. What you're looking for is some evidence of corrosion on the
anode, but not enough metal eaten away to expose significant amounts of
the core wire.

nate

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Thanks. Makes sense that the hex head is probably under that plastic
cap. Worth a look, though it requires climbing around. I did see the
waterheaterrescue website, which is vastly more useful than anything
else I've seen, but I was hoping to get something more specific about
my own heater. That website is also very clear about how to evaluate
the condition of the anode.

My understanding is that the combo one is accessible by removing the
outlet line. That's feasible, but will take a little time to cool
things down enough to do it. Also, the mechanical arrangement isn't
obvious on that. Need to do some more reading on how combo anodes
work.

The unit is a $500 one, and while yes, 12 years from now, I can spend
another chunk of cash to get a new one, I would not mind seeing if it
is easy to get it to last longer. As to filling up with lime, yes,
that's a risk, but regular flushing actually does seem to do a pretty
good job. My last (6-year warranty) heater lasted about seven years,
and I never looked at the anode. I did flush it regularly, and when I
removed it, the tank was leakeing from corrosion, the anode was crap,
as it turned out, and there wasn't too much lime buildup. That's why
I'm interested in anodes!