To Drain Hot Water tank or not ...

[huntr70]

I drain after every trip. Never know the quality of the water that sits in there, and it is way easier to drain the heater than to get bad water taste/smell out.

[Redapple63]

We only drain when we winterize. Even sitting at our home I will go in and do stuff, so we use it even when we are not camping.

Bill

[Riverbug]

Like many others, we do not drain between trips. Actually, we have fairly frequent power outages so we keep the fresh water full as it's a nice backup when power is lost for a few hours or a day.

[Petrovsky]

I have had in a previous TT the foul smell from the hot water tank. I had not used the RV for 1 1/2 months and RV stored with hot water tank on the sun side. Pain to flush, & disinfect at camp site.

This is what I do now.....I sanitize the whole system once a year. I use a filter on my water inlet and when filling water tank. Since the RV is in the driveway between outings and if it will be more than a few weeks before the next trip, I hook the RV to my home supply and run water thru the cold side for a few minutes all cold water taps including shower and external spray port. Then I run water through the closest hot water tap to the hot water tank after removing the tap's screen at least 20 minutes to 1/2 hour and follow up with all the other hot water taps (removing screen should prevent loose scale from plugging it). I also fill the fresh water tank and if longer than 1 month, re-sanitize the tank overnight. Maybe overkill but works for me.

[sande005]

After having a problem with the "Sulphur smell" from the hot water tank, I always drain it if it will be sitting unused for less than a couple of weeks. The good part on my 2670MK, all I have to do is open the hot low point and the pressure relief valve on the heater, and it gets just as empty as it would if I pulled the plug.
Sulphur smell can be from a bad anode rod IF your heater has one (Atwoods do not). Otherwise, it is bacteria from some wells that introduce it. Not harmful at all, but does make the water stinky.

[Riverbug]

After having a problem with the "Sulphur smell" from the hot water tank, I always drain it if it will be sitting unused for less than a couple of weeks. The good part on my 2670MK, all I have to do is open the hot low point and the pressure relief valve on the heater, and it gets just as empty as it would if I pulled the plug.
Sulphur smell can be from a bad anode rod IF your heater has one (Atwoods do not). Otherwise, it is bacteria from some wells that introduce it. Not harmful at all, but does make the water stinky.

You know, I realized this last fall. After I opened the low point drains and all the faucets, I let it drain while doing other stuff. I came back and it was done draining. I then removed the water heater plug and found that not a drop of water came out. That was never the case in my previous RVs. That's a nice feature! Much easier than removing that plastic plug.

[Grandesigner]

Strange, but I find removing the plastic plug easier than the low point plug due to its location...ymmv.

[Riverbug]

Strange, but I find removing the plastic plug easier than the low point plug due to its location...ymmv.

It must depend on the RV. My low points are at the very back and I can reach them without even kneeling down on the ground. They are very convenient compared to that plastic plug, which I find a pain to remove and install only because it strips a little more each time I have to remove or install it.

In fact, because the low points are so accessible I've wondered if someone is going to play a trick on me some day and open them up while I'm not looking.

[Grandesigner]

Very much so...my low points require crawling under the 5W and water running down my arm to my elbow or even arm pit, lol
I do have to apply teflon tape each time to prevent leakage...

[ronb94]

drain it every trip,, also pour fresh water down in traps,,lots of camps in our area have well water,, and it goes to rotten eggs,,,