Broken Anode

When trying to remove the anode rod from a water heater the plug and about two inches of the anode came out but the rest of the anode remained wedged in the opening. There isn't room to grab onto the piece that's left. Is it advisable to just tap the remaining portion into the tank? Advice would be appreciated.
Larry, (Santa Barbara, CA)

Larry, I see no harm in simply tapping it back into the tank. It’s totally submerged when the heater is filled with water any way. The only problem may occur when you annually drain and flush the water heater. (You are doing that, correct?). It’s possible for it to slip into the opening while draining. Just be sure to check the new anode every year, but there should be no accelerated deterioration of the new rod with the older one sitting on the bottom of the tank. If the water quality is substantially reduced in the coming years, perhaps then I would replace the entire water heater or the inner tank. Oh, don’t forget you’ll need a new pipe plug now