Draining Water Heater?

[Concord]

Straatc... Elegant solution!

[RKins]

Originally Posted by Straatc

I too didn't care for the way the water heater drained, so I came up with this setup. A few parts from the big box store. Anode rod is now easier to change as it is now farther out. Can be done with a wrench. I simply pivot the tube down and open the valve. If I didn't release pressure first it's no big deal. Attachment 314513Attachment 314514

Nice solution for draining the water out of the tank but you'll be hard pressed to flush the remnants of the anode that corroded into the bottom of the tank, through that little tube.

[Z714X4]

Originally Posted by careh

You can buy a plastic 'J' shaped wand that connects to a garden hose to stick into the drain hole then rotate it around to rinse the crud out of the tank.

RV Water Heater Tank Rinser

^^^^^This ^^^^^

I don't know why you want to avoid the splashing water. I clean mine out once a year in the summer when it hits triple digits and look forward to getting wet.

I don't use the camco but made my own and couldn't believe the amount of stuff I got out the first time on my new coach. I have a friend with a 10 year old motorhome who had never cleaned his out. After telling him my yearly routine he said he got a thick layer of gooey sludge out of the bottom and to not to tell his wife. lol

[chunker]

Originally Posted by careh

You can buy a plastic 'J' shaped wand that connects to a garden hose to stick into the drain hole then rotate it around to rinse the crud out of the tank.

RV Water Heater Tank Rinser

Use with caution!. There is a thread on this, or another RV forum I visit, where some people have complained about the plastic end of that wand blowing off and ending up inside the water heater. Now in addition to the sediment you have a piece of plastic tube in the tank. Making one is a good idea but make sure the length of the tube can't go all the way inside before bottoming out against the back of the tank.

[LETMGROW]

Originally Posted by Z714X4

^^^^^This ^^^^^

I don't know why you want to avoid the splashing water. I clean mine out once a year in the summer when it hits triple digits and look forward to getting wet.

I don't use the camco but made my own and couldn't believe the amount of stuff I got out the first time on my new coach. I have a friend with a 10 year old motorhome who had never cleaned his out. After telling him my yearly routine he said he got a thick layer of gooey sludge out of the bottom and to not to tell his wife. lol

I'm on the same page as you. If I was afraid of some water I'd probably not ever bathe. I made my own reducer to put on the end of a garden hose with a 1/4" diameter hose on it which will go into the drain hole and rinse the tank out. I do this a couple times a summer at home. The trick is to do it often to keep it clean.
I don't wear my best suit. A pair of old tennis shoes and old shorts work just fine. It's not a fashion show.

[Straatc]

Originally Posted by RKins

Nice solution for draining the water out of the tank but you'll be hard pressed to flush the remnants of the anode that corroded into the bottom of the tank, through that little tube.

The little tube is for draining the water. One a year I remove the anode rod for inspection/replacement and flush the tank. It is still a 3/4" hole and I use one of the Camco water heater flushers. Nothing has changed as for cleaning goes.

[mrboyer]

While this may be a good solution, I would use brass fittings to avoid dielectric corrosion. They cost more, but I have always been able to easily remove when necessary.

[DGBPokes]

There is a good YouTube video by RV Geeks on hot water tank maintenance and cleaning. They recommend; 6 gallons of white vinegar (Sams Club..cheap) fill balance with water. Turn on heat and let it set overnight. It was incredible the white calcium that flushed out.

[DGBPokes]

Originally Posted by Straatc

I too didn't care for the way the water heater drained, so I came up with this setup. A few parts from the big box store. Anode rod is now easier to change as it is now farther out. Can be done with a wrench. I simply pivot the tube down and open the valve. If I didn't release pressure first it's no big deal. Attachment 314513Attachment 314514

I love that idea! One question: It appears about half of the anode rod is no longer exposed to the tank interior. Doesn’t that reduce the efficiency of the anode rod?

[NITEHAWK]

Our 1989 Foretravel Dometic water heater doesn't have an anode rod and doesn't need one.
BUT, having said that, I do treat the water heater for mineral deposits by filling the water heater with 5% white vinegar from Dollar Tree.
I turn on the heater and leave it on overnight. Amazing how much better smelling and tasting after a few rinses.
In order to reduce splash onto the gas control valve ( I shorted two before modifying the drain setup, at $35 a pop) I removed the petcock, installed a short pipe nipple and a coupler. (I ground the outside diameter of the coupler a bit so it would clear the propane gas line.) Then the new setup, with the plastic plug installed, stops just short of the louvered door.
Open the louvered door, remove the plastic drain plug, and the water shoots out and misses the coach side.

[Old-Biscuit]

Vinegar soak is straight from the manual

[beenthere]

the water left in tank from all my rv's since '80's have never broke after draining n storing rod or plug depending on which brand you haven it gets -40 here like most yrs, even pex is fairly stable except at fittings

[Straatc]

Originally Posted by DGBPokes

I love that idea! One question: It appears about half of the anode rod is no longer exposed to the tank interior. Doesn’t that reduce the efficiency of the anode rod?

Not really. All of the anode rod is still exposed to water. The next time I bought a new rod I bought the next longer one.

[Straatc]

Originally Posted by mrboyer

While this may be a good solution, I would use brass fittings to avoid dielectric corrosion. They cost more, but I have always been able to easily remove when necessary.

I thought about using brass but was unsure if it would affect the performance of the anode rod. I didn't think so, but went with galvanized anyway.