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Old 08-10-2018, 09:37 AM   #1
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Getting Rid Of Hot Water Tank Calcium Buildup

Hi Guys,
With the small 6 gallon hot water tank in our MH, I am quite sure that there is a significant amount of hard water buildup in it. This is just an assumption as the MH is 10 years old. We have flushed every year for wintering and deposit does flush out, but I am quite certain that I am just scraping the surface.
Who has the best idea how to clean out this buildup? Vinegar? Lemon Juice? Beer? (just trying to catch your attention). I would think that there is all sorts of calcium removers, but which one works best?
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Old 08-10-2018, 09:50 AM   #2
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Lots of suggestions are available but vinegar seems the most common. We are not in areas where the water is too hard so I just use water with a flushing wand. If your unit is working well, I wouldn't get overly concerned. If you really want to see- get a camera probe you can use with your phone. The RV Geeks have a a few videos on the subject with a link to the device.
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Old 08-10-2018, 11:13 AM   #3
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10 yr. on the water heater is doing very good!
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Old 08-10-2018, 11:40 AM   #4
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https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...g+with+vinegar

There are many videos on cleaning with vinegar. Check out the ones with the bore scopes. I was surprised at how much junk can collect in a few years.

Note that not all HWH use an anode rod.
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Old 08-10-2018, 12:40 PM   #5
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Do you have a Suburban with anode rod and glass line tank OR do you have an Atwood with aluminum tank?


Atwood has a vinegar soak procedure .....Suburban doesn't but should be OK with same results


Turn water supply off...open faucet hotside to relieve system pressure
Remove drain plug (anode rod for Suburban)
Remove T&P Relief Valve
Reinstall drain plug (anode rod)
Use funnel and pour 4 gals vinegar/2 gals water into WH Tank thru T&P opening (7 gal/3gal for 10 gallon tank)
Reinstall T&P Relief Valve
Turn water heater ON.........use electric element when possible
Let water heater go thru 4-5 heating cycles WITHOUT using any hot water/adding any cold water.
Heat/cool/heat/cool .....let it run overnight
Then turn heating source OFF....relieve pressure...drain/flush


I prefer a 'power flush' ---with drain plug/anode rod removed turn water supply on FULL and let it blast out drain hole (sticking those flush wands in partiall block drain hole especially on Atwood with 1/2" drain hole)


With Suburban you can easily remove electric element..........access via outside compartment (Atwood PITA cause element is on backside)




Hot vinegar soak will remove calcium/crud w/o harming tank
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Old 08-10-2018, 12:51 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Murphcrud View Post
Hi Guys,
With the small 6 gallon hot water tank in our MH, I am quite sure that there is a significant amount of hard water buildup in it. This is just an assumption as the MH is 10 years old. We have flushed every year for wintering and deposit does flush out, but I am quite certain that I am just scraping the surface.
Who has the best idea how to clean out this buildup? Vinegar? Lemon Juice? Beer? (just trying to catch your attention). I would think that there is all sorts of calcium removers, but which one works best?
Please don't use beer as that would be considered alcohol abuse.😁😁

By beer, I mean something other than Bud, Bud lite, Miller, Miller lite, etc.
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Old 08-10-2018, 07:38 PM   #7
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mine is OEM 16 years old and still going strong.
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Old 08-11-2018, 08:29 PM   #8
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We had a Country Coach with this issue. I blasted the tank with a flush wand which helped but wanted more. I bought gallons (case) of vinegar at Costco and filled the water heater and let sit for ~18 hours and several heat cycles. After draining I flushed again and got piles of calcium out. Word of caution: be prepared to clean faucet screens regularly for a couple of trips.
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