No water should be left in the RV’s system when the climate is cold outside. Other times you just have to crawl under your RV and look. When Turning Off the Water Heater Doesn’t Matter During a Vacation This spring he decided to hook up his RV and get it ready for camping. What happens? Over time sediment builds up inside the tank, which can cause performance issues. I hope you enjoy it and come back for more tips and tricks. Some people never drain their hot water heater tank. Typically they are near your fresh water tank or your water pump. It is a simple task to perform and it does not take very long. They don't mention one important caveat, though: It's a very good idea to remove sediment from your tank water heater , but if you haven't done it in years, flushing your water heater may cause problems you never imagined. Yes, on all water heaters you will have to remove the drain plug when winterizing. Once you have emptied the water heater, you may want to consider flushing it before you refill it. If water is present, it could freeze and ruin the havoc on the RV. Camp onward…, Your email address will not be published. Get it as soon as Mon, Feb 1. If just the cold water system is being used, without water heater, the heater tank is also filled up with water. Go to the outside of the RV and open the panel to the water heater. Wait until no more water runs out of the hot water heater. at the very bottom of this blog I am going to show you a video of how to drain your water heater. RVs are supposed to be parked by rivers not have rivers flowing in them. Leisure Coachworks RV Water Heater Drain Plug and Wrench Kit - Designed for RV & Camper Water Heater Drain Plugs| Fits 7/8" & 15/16" Drain Plugs (Water Heater Drain Plugs and Wrench Kit) 4.6 out of 5 stars 4. Most RV’s have the 6-gallon size. Be careful and let the water cool to a safe temperature before draining the RV water heater. So if you want to save some major headaches and money get into the habit of draining your tanks. You should be able to raise the drain hose above the level of the heater tank, add vinyl tubing if necessary, and pour a vinegar mix to fill the heater tank and remove oxidation. Rinse off the area with a garden hose to remove any debris that came out of the RV water heater. “Flushing” a water heater means draining it completely, removing any sediment buildup and then filling it back up. The interval between flushing depends on the hardness of your water. In most cases, turning it on is easy: you simply locate your RV electric water heater switch and toggle it to “on.” It might be a little or a lot. Wondering how to start the hot water in your RV? Water heaters have two elements: the top and bottom. I would recommend you draining it every time you’re done camping if you are going to let the RV sit for more than two weeks before your next trip. I would also empty your fresh water tanks as well. Check out the picture below to see the water heater that we removed out of the RV that we had to fix. If you live in an area with hard water, though, Angie's List says you may need to drain it more frequently. Do not drain the water heater tank before doing this! As I already said above, you will also want to empty the fresh water tank and water lines. The best way to avoid these problems is to flush out your water heater every year. You might be still questioning why you should drainyour RV water heater, so here are some of the reasons to persuade you: Saves money: You won’t have to deal with a broken water heater that will need a pricey replacement. When you return home from an RV trip and you are not going to use the RV for a while you should drain the entire water system to prevent it from getting stale and musty. If the water heater has an electric mode make sure it is in the “off’” position before you drain the water heater tank. Altman holds a B.A. Remember that not all RVs are the same and sometimes the values to open will be up in a compartment and even inside under some cabinets. This should have come with your RV, but if not, you should be able to find one on your own. In neglected water heaters, sediment can accumulate and calcify, making it difficult to remove. Remove the drain plug or rod. Drain Water Heater when Winterizing RV When you are winterizing your RV it is also important to drain it during this time. Standard hot water heaters hold either 6 gallons or 10 gallons. Tankless hot water heaters never run out of hot water. APPOINTMENT ONLY: The hot water heater tank will smell especially bad because of the hot water, it will start to smell like sulfur. If you damage the valve, now would be a good time to replace it. The water heater is now drained directly to the outside via the drain valve (3). Sometimes if you are lucky there is a sign on the outside that says low point drains as you can see in the picture below. Water will start to run out. Use an adjustable wrench to loosen the drain plug at the bottom of the water heater. This must know tip will keep you on the road and your water flowing nice and fresh. Lever in the “f” position (drain). Turn off the water heater, LP gas and water pump. It is a simple task to perform and it does … There are several reasons to drain an RV water heater. I hope that you will not have to learn the same lesson and will either winterize your unit or take it into your local dealer. One way to extend the life of your Rheem water heater and keep it running efficiently is to periodically drain and flush the tank. in marketing from Mercy College, a black belt in taekwondo, master gardener certification, a certificate in graphic arts and a certificate in genealogy. This guy went out and bought an RV last year from some dealer. (One after another) If you don’t want to be one of the newbies that makes the huge yet simple mistake and end up spending hundreds of dollars on replacing a water heater you are going to want to read the rest of this. I put the link below: https://www.rvsofamerica.com/contact, Once again, thanks for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day! Below is a picture of a water heater from the outside with the cover off. Your email address will not be published. an appointment. A standard 10 gallon hot water heater tank takes about an hour for the water to heat up. This is the most important step in winterizing the RV. Unfortunately, it all came at a price and after having to spend $8,000.00 to get it all leak free he will now forever remember to drain and winterize his RV. Camco 11523 3/4\" Plastic Water Heater Drain Valve with 2-1/2\" Shank – If you prefer plastic drain valves, you should consider this option. You also want to make sure to set the valves on the back of … i pumped the rv antifreeze through the plumbing system until it came out of the faucets and toilet. Water heater & water lines It is best to drain and bypass the Water Heater so that you won’t have to pump antifreezeor air through the tank when winterizing the water lines. After opening all the hot water faucets around your house, proceed to open the water heater drain valve. The solution: Flush out your water heater annually. 99. That should be done once a year. A plumbing expert gets up on YouTube and gives a tutorial of how to clean out the sediment from your water heater. An anode rod is a solid metal cylinder that gets screwed into a water heater’s drain plug to prevent the steel water heater tank from rusting inside. A water heater in Arizona should be flushed at least once a year. If you have used RV antifreeze in your water system over the winter, then you must flush out the tank prior to refilling it. When this happens, it shorts out, rendering the element useless, meaning money that would be saved is now used on a plumber. Some hot water heater manufacturers recommend only draining off about a gallon of water, but suggest doing so once a month. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Water heater drain valves do not get used very often, so you may need to use a pair of pliers. This can get … Other reasons are winterizing the RV, troubleshooting and taking the RV out of a winterized state. Next, open all of your faucets in the RV, both hot and cold, to allow them to drain. cmannphoto / Getty Images Most water heater maintenance manuals suggest that you drain a water heater at intervals ranging from six to 12 months. If you have ever been to a hot spring then you will know the smell. Open the pressure valve on the top of the water heater. This thing happens in the DIY blog-o-sphere. i was reading about this and it said to drain the hot water heater before pumping the antifreeze through the system. Now please check out the video below so you can see how to drain your water heater and never have to replace it. If you have anymore questions feel free to ask on our website under the contact us page. Sadly, he wasn’t told to drain his water tanks or even winterize his unit. Turning on the city water and flushing the water heater for several minutes before replacing the drain plug will extend the life of your water heater as it will flush out more debris and scale. Basically, you open up the drain at the bottom of the water heater and run fresh, clean water through it to clear out any buildup of sediment. Sediment buildup occurs frequently in Arizona because we have “hard” water (water with a lot of minerals in it). To drain a water heater, start by turning it off and let the water cool for a few hours. 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