Hot water tank drain.

[Aridon]

The very first time I pulled that plug I was standing back a bit to not get wet but was dead center because I wasn't thinking at that moment in time properly. The second the last thread lost grip there was a pop and the anode rod shot out and popped me just enough in the ding ding. My wife and daughter thought it was hilarious.

I now stand off to the side.

[MJMCCAND]

I installed the braided hose and quarter-turn ball valve on the drain and I keep the valve open when the rig is winterized just to be on the safe side in case of freezing. Anyway, I hooked up the city water to the camper BEFORE I opened the water heater'a exterior panel to allow the drain hose to hang down. Well the water sprayed inside the panel for about 15 seconds before I closed off the drain valve and made a mess in the kitchen.


When I first saw the small puddle on the floor near the bottom of the cabinet under the sink, I thought I had a leak in my kitchen sink, but upon further inspection I saw that all its plumbing was dry. I then saw that the puddle spread out on the floor back toward the water heater and that's when I came to the conclusion that I made the mistake.

So if you too have the drain valve and hose setup on your water heater, learn from my mistake. Either close the drain valve or make sure the hose it pointed away from your rig before you turn on the city water.

[boyscout]

The very first time I pulled that plug I was standing back a bit to not get wet but was dead center because I wasn't thinking at that moment in time properly. The second the last thread lost grip there was a pop and the anode rod shot out and popped me just enough in the ding ding. My wife and daughter thought it was hilarious. I now stand off to the side.

In the (very detached) interest of protecting your ding-dong I write to advise releasing all pressure from the system before removing the cap / anode rod from the heater.

After removing city water pressure or turning off the pump, open both hot and cold sides of at least one faucet in the trailer, better to open them all (in the kitchen, set the control in the middle between hot and cold). Then open the low-point drains under the trailer or in the water closet (open both hot and cold water drains).

At that point removing the cap / anode rod is ding-dong safe. Opening the lever-controlled pressure valve at the top of the heater will make a big difference in how quickly it drains... stand off to the side so you don't get a wet ding-dong.

[boyscout]

Casual and/or inexperienced readers of this thread might miss the fact that there are (at least) two types of water heater used by Grand Design - it's mentioned in only a couple of the posts.

One of the water heater types, often made by Atwood and usually having a plastic plug, can be improved by the mod suggested in this thread.

The other, made by Suburban and having a metal plug, includes an essential "anode rod" extending behind the plug into the tank. The rod must be there to retard early decomposition of the water tank itself. The rod makes it impossible to install the easy-drain mod discussed in this thread.

[ggates]

Has anyone tried to do a similar mod to the Suburban tank? I can't find any discussion (maybe my lack of forum search skill) about modifying a tank with an anode rod to allow easier draining. I modified my Solitude using a galvanized nipple and T. This allows me to thread the anode rod straight in and attach a 1/4 turn valve with a hose nipple to allow draining. I used metal because I assumed I needed to keep the anode rod in electrical contact with the tank (versus nylon for those without a rod).

[gojoenow]

I would look into putting a bleed fitting on top fitting of tank inside camper to bleed air in so tank drains for winter.Mine didn't drain out last winter split tank open go thing for extended warranty.

[Cpt_Confusion]

I would look into putting a bleed fitting on top fitting of tank inside camper to bleed air in so tank drains for winter.Mine didn't drain out last winter split tank open go thing for extended warranty.

You should always ensure that your water heater tank is drained before you flip the Nautilus panel to the winterize setting and isolate the water heater. That way, all you have to do is open the a faucet to allow air into the tank as the water drains. If you flip the valves in the panel first, that generally won't happen due to check valves built into the water heater.

[chrisopy]

Here's what we did to keep from splashing water all over when draining the water heater:
Attachment 21636

We can't take credit for this idea; it came from a post by @FordmanNJ -
https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/show...266#post231266

Do you occasionally remove this setup and use the wand to flush out sediment?

[Grammy&Grandad]

At that point removing the cap / anode rod is ding-dong safe. Opening the lever-controlled pressure valve at the top of the heater will make a big difference in how quickly it drains... stand off to the side so you don't get a wet ding-dong.

I advocate that owners manuals and service publications heretofore adopt the convention of certifying select specified procedures as “Ding-Dong Safe, or DDS.

[jw^2 family]

I haven't yet but it might not be a bad idea.

Sometimes I notice some sediment in the water when the tank begins draining.