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  1. #21
    Big Traveler
    Join Date
    Sep 2020
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    Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
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    I drain once per year. The bottled water you can buy at the store is months older than the water sitting in the trailer water heater even if you only use it once a month.
    If I stayed at a campground with an 'odd' tasting water, I would drain and flush it as soon as I got home.
    2018 Dodge 3500 6.7 Cummins SRW w/Aisin
    2021 Reflection 303RLS
    New to RV'ing since 1997

  2. #22
    Setting Up Camp
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    Jul 2020
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    Quote Originally Posted by MN-Mark View Post
    Saddest day of the year today. Winterized the camper and got it ready for winter storage. My neighbor was doing the same and we got to comparing notes about our processes.

    Our winterizing processes were pretty much the same but I found we treat our hot water heaters differently through the season. When I get the camper ready for summer and sanitize the water system, the hot water heater stays full all season long. My neighbor drains his hot water heater after every trip.

    In 11 seasons with our previous camper and 2 seasons with the 303RLS, I only drained the water heater at the end of the season. I never noticed that the water smelled bad or anything like that.

    Is it better to drain after every use?

    Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

    Mark
    Drain after each use, not worth the risk and very easy to do. Didn't do that with our old camper, and developed that rotten smell which is very hard to get rid of. Just add a hose with a valve at the end to make it easy to drain.

  3. #23
    Fireside Member
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    Aug 2020
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    Brownstown, Michigan
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    Quote Originally Posted by ultramafic View Post
    We too drain it out after every trip. it doesnt take long to drain or fill up and i give it a good flush before every trip this way. Ours does not have an anode so i installed a drain valve on it to make the process easier. Do I have to drain it who knows but I always do. Also for winterize drain for sure.

    Mike
    I’m with you, that’s how I do mine as well. I’ve also installed the drain plug because mine doesn’t have an anode either.

  4. #24
    Site Sponsor
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    Dec 2019
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    Outside Pinehurst NC
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    Quote Originally Posted by MN-Mark View Post
    Saddest day of the year today. Winterized the camper and got it ready for winter storage. My neighbor was doing the same and we got to comparing notes about our processes.

    Our winterizing processes were pretty much the same but I found we treat our hot water heaters differently through the season. When I get the camper ready for summer and sanitize the water system, the hot water heater stays full all season long. My neighbor drains his hot water heater after every trip.

    In 11 seasons with our previous camper and 2 seasons with the 303RLS, I only drained the water heater at the end of the season. I never noticed that the water smelled bad or anything like that.

    Is it better to drain after every use?

    Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

    Mark
    I have always practiced draining the hot water tank after every camping trip. One, it only takes a couple of minutes and Two, I don't want a few gallons of water in a container in the heat that might expose us to bacteria.
    Terry and Elizabeth
    2020 Reflection 260RD Using Anderson Hitch
    2020 F350 SuperDuty Diesel Crew Dually Long Bed

  5. #25
    Setting Up Camp
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gstepp22 View Post
    Drain it every time. Otherwise for me if water sits in it for about two weeks it smells like rotten eggs. Maybe it's because of the new plastic heater tanks with no anode. Older heaters may do better with sitting water.

    Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
    .....x2.....

  6. #26
    Rolling Along
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
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    Michigan and Florida
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    My previous 5er had an aluminum hot water tank...No anode rod. We bought our 2016 Solitude 379FL in Florida in March of 2017. We used it for two summer vacations back home in Michigan. I drained the hot water tank that winter and winterized the unit. The spring of 2018 while getting ready for vacations again I pulled the rod. What a mess. The rod was mostly gone and an endoscope showed all of the missing part all over the bottom of the tank! The 3/4 inch NPT hole is 1/2 inch above the floor of the tank making it nearly impossible to clean. I removed the safety valve and put a hose in the top, and then a wet-vac with ever decreasing hoses to fit into the bottom hole. I got most of it, but not all. The endoscope also showed an extreme amount of buildup on the heating element and the walls of the tank.

    Researching online I found the thing with white vinegar. Its a 12 gallon tank. We bought 6 gallons of vinegar (4 different Gordon Food Stores). I put all 6 gallons in the tank (without the rod) by pouring it into the safety valve opening (long skinny hose and a funnel). I then topped it off with water. I sealed it up and turned the heater on. Then next morning I drained the tank and looked at the inside with the endoscope. WOW! The before and after videos are a stark contrast! Every last bit of buildup was complete gone, even the stuff left on the floor of the tank from the rod. That sold me on the vinegar thing. I highly recommend it for anyone with a anode rod.

    We live in the country with a well. Because of the iron in our water, our hot water always smelled like Sulfur. It was bad. I read that the chemical reaction from the anode rod was the culprit. I was forced to remove the rod. That tank lasted 8 years. The next one lasted almost 10 years. When we had to buy another one about the same time I did the vinegar thing, I found that there are electronic anodes made for hot water tanks, and because there is no chemical reaction with the rod material, there is no sulfur smell.

    The light-bulb went off. The "antenna" for the for the electronic anode is about 18 inches long. The electronic control box is a little bigger than a cell phone charger and draws almost no current. I made up some plumbing that extended the drain hole of the tank enough to put a "T" and a side path to drain the tank with the electronic anode rod installed. The Solitude has an AC outlet next to the Nautilus panel. After 18 months I took the electronic anode out and looked inside with the endoscope again. The calcium buildup is returning ever so slightly, but there is no rust, which is why the rod is there in the first place. This is the one I used... https://www.ebay.com/itm/ICCP-Powere...UAAOSwOsZfjdT1

    Update: There is now a 12 volt electronic anode available, but it costs more....
    Frank and Char + Maya, Newport, Michigan. 2016 Solitude 379FL/2006 F250 6.0 diesel w/dually conversion. 4th rain-sense roof vent, two ceiling fans, Kodiak disc brakes, Carlisle G 14-ply tires, Water Miser x2, final dump valve, water header tank, fridge cond fan switch, outside range exhaust, elec hot water anode, filtered drinking water, triple battery box,

  7. #27
    Fireside Member
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    Oct 2019
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    Western Mass
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    I have had campers with anodes and without. I have a 2018 2760MK, and drain the HW tank when I winterize at the end of the season. I use a water filter when I hook up. If I camp at my favorite state park or somewhere else with sketchy water I drain an refill the HW tank when I get back home, and replace the filter. I installed a valve to make draining easier, my tank doesn't use an anode.
    One thing to remember...if your HW tank is empty, and you turn the electric on to heat the tank, you will burn out your element within a few seconds. When I winterize and drain the tank, I put a piece of masking tape over the two switches on the control panel so that we do not accidentally turn them on when reaching for the light switch.

    Only 5 more months to camping season!
    2022 Reflection 150 series 295RL
    2020 Ford F350 Lariat Crew Cab Long Bed, 7.3 Godzilla & 3.73 rear end
    (previous) 2018 Imagine 2670MK
    2016 Ford F250 Lariat Supercab, 6.2 gasser, 3002 lbs payload

  8. #28
    Site Sponsor MN-Mark's Avatar
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    Nov 2018
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    SE Twin Cities, MN
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    Thanks for all of the reply’s everyone! I think I am going to make up a hose assembly with a valve like others have mentioned and start draining after each use. Better safe than sorry I guess. In 13 years we have never had an issue but I do sanitize every spring and also if it sits for more than a month, which is rare during the summer.

    Mark
    Mark & Megan & Levi (our floppy eared four legged furry friend)
    2019 Reflection 303RLS
    2019 Chevy Silverado 3500HD Duramax
    B & W Companion

  9. #29
    Setting Up Camp MattShan's Avatar
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    How about the extra weight of 6 gallons of water getting bounced around for thousands of miles? It’s a fast and simple way of protecting the mounts of the tank from excessive stress. Maybe I’m too careful? I always drain HWH.
    Matt
    2021 Momentum 376THS FW
    2020 Ram 3500 HO Cummins DRW LB
    B&W Companion 25K Splendide Washer and Dryer Separate DV6400X

  10. #30
    Fireside Member
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    Aug 2020
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    Brownstown, Michigan
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    No anode in my water heater so I installed a drain plug. When we are packing up and getting ready to head home, I open the drain and pressure relief valve and let the tank drain. By the time we are ready to leave, the tank is empty.
    I do this every time.

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