Water Heater has no Anode Rod?

[ChrisNiemann]

I will have to post back up tomorrow night with the make/model but wanted to get the question out there today. I have a 1993 32' Class A Cobra Cordoba. While i had some down time before we hit the road on hurricane season, i thought i'd replace a few things that i've learned about now before it's an "uh oh" x2 expense.... for instance, my drain on the HWH keeps leaking and runs down the side of the RV, so I'm replacing it and adding a hose to it so it drains away from the rv wall. next on the list is the pressure relief valve.... boy was that some fun stuff to get off! LOL

anyways, after removing both of these I realized i don't have an anode rod anywhere in this tank, which means i don't even want to see the inside of the tank! before i put all this back together, CAN i put a rod in or will it do more harm than good, or how do i know if one will even fit in a hole anywhere and where should it go? I'm assuming the bottom of the tank where my drain is, but how would that work if that is the drain hole?

if anyone can help me off this info it would be greatly appreciated, if you need more info, just post up your info needed and I will be back tomorrow night with the Make/Model

Thanks again Everyone!!!

[RV Wizard]

If the water heater is an Atwood with an aluminum tank, no anode rod is needed or should be installed. Only a plastic plug. If it is a Suburban then an anode rod is needed.

[ChrisNiemann]

when i took out the pressure valve, there was a plastic about 3" rod coming out of the valve..... I will be heading back up to the shop later today to go look, wife found garage sales so were doin "together time" today LOL. Ya' know, you can find some good stuff for RV's at garage sales, if its lighting, just pull the 110 lightbulb end out and replace it with the 12v bulb style from an old car or tractor and you're good to go! Anyway, thanks for the info, I'll go look into it and if i get lost along the way I'll repost!

Thanks You!!

[InPursuit]

Originally Posted by ChrisNiemann

when i took out the pressure valve, there was a plastic about 3" rod coming out of the valve...

That is the thermometer probe that the T portion of the T&P valve needs in order to function... but it is NOT an anode rod.

[TravelingJ]

Originally Posted by RV Wizard

If the water heater is an Atwood with an aluminum tank, no anode rod is needed or should be installed. Only a plastic plug. If it is a Suburban then an anode rod is needed.

That's interesting. Our plastic plug just burst open on our Atwood a few weeks back, and the local shop would ONLY sell us the anode rod for it?

[RickO]

Make sure you find out if your Atwood has the aluminum tank because my dealer sold me an annode with my new coach telling me it was required and it made a real mess of things. Atwood says they're not to be used but a trip to CW website shows annodes for Atwoods. I'm not using annodes anymore.

[edj]

Originally Posted by TravelingJ

That's interesting. Our plastic plug just burst open on our Atwood a few weeks back, and the local shop would ONLY sell us the anode rod for it?

If the local shop you went to does not know the difference between a Suburban water heater and an Atwood water heater, I would stay FAR away from them. Take you business where they know what they are talking about.

[TravelingJ]

Well, it's not MY local shop, it was just THE local shop. I'm pretty much always on the road, and it was the one the RV park suggested. They didn't see the water heater at all, but asked what type I had, and I told them Atwood. They sold me an Anode rod that DID say Atwood on the packaging.

If I'm not supposed to have one installed, then this company really shouldn't be marketing them for Atwood. I will remove it if they aren't to be there-but this is the first I've ever seen of it being an issue.

[RickO]

Originally Posted by TravelingJ

Well, it's not MY local shop, it was just THE local shop. I'm pretty much always on the road, and it was the one the RV park suggested. They didn't see the water heater at all, but asked what type I had, and I told them Atwood. They sold me an Anode rod that DID say Atwood on the packaging.

If I'm not supposed to have one installed, then this company really shouldn't be marketing them for Atwood. I will remove it if they aren't to be there-but this is the first I've ever seen of it being an issue.

Yep. I agree but it's not isolated to a local shop. Camping World markets and sells anodes for Atwood water heaters! I tried to get a better understanding of this a year ago on this forum when I discovered my problem (after putting in an "Atwood Anode") and never got any sort of resolution other than finger pointing. Some replies implied I was a real dummy for putting an anode in an Atwood but it's apparently a wide spread problem if my dealer sold me one as part of my pre inspection process on my new coach and CW markets them! I just don't get it.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Most RV dealers will sell water to a drowning man!

Atwood does not supply an anode road with a new heater, and nowhere in the Atwood heater manual for any model of heater does it recommend adding one. It does, however, contain a caution against modifying the heater in any way. Need any more be said?

[Richard S.]

The rods for atwood water heaters are made by an aftermarket CO. and are not a Atwood product.

["007"]

This brochure only shows plastic drain plugs for Atwood WH no mentioning of a anode rod.
This ATWOOD manual only mentions DRAIN PLUGS on pg #5 to remove when cleaning tank.

Suburban WH's

[RVhauler]

If the plastic plug is not available then suggest a brass plug to replace it. Available from Lowes/Home Depot/menards

[TravelingJ]

Originally Posted by RickO

Yep. I agree but it's not isolated to a local shop. Camping World markets and sells anodes for Atwood water heaters! I tried to get a better understanding of this a year ago on this forum when I discovered my problem (after putting in an "Atwood Anode") and never got any sort of resolution other than finger pointing. Some replies implied I was a real dummy for putting an anode in an Atwood but it's apparently a wide spread problem if my dealer sold me one as part of my pre inspection process on my new coach and CW markets them! I just don't get it.

I'm glad we are in the same boat! I'm all for not using it. I could care less either way. It was a $20 part, and lord knows I've wasted more. However, I just want to know the WHY behind it. In my main hobby (cigars) there is a lot of 'rules' out there that people just blindly follow-and I've learned to ask 'why is that?' and try to find the real reason before I just jump on a bandwagon or listen to a single post online. I'll take the plug out, but I want to really know it isn't supposed to be there before I go and do such a thing.