Dear Dave,
Should I leave the anode rod out of the water heater and the water drain plug on the fresh water tank open after winterizing the camper? —Albert, 2022 Coleman LT 17B
Dear Albert,
I always leave the anode rod or plug out during any storage. I also use a water heater flush rod which is a small angled hose that is attached to a garden hose. Then I can flush out the bottom of the water tank as the drain hole is not at the ultimate bottom and there is typically 2″ of calcium and lime that sits there and gets nasty. I flush that out as good as possible, shut off the water and lift the hose at about 10 feet back to drain that part. I then add bleach into the hose, reattach the flush wand and run it again for about 15 – 20 seconds. That will add the bleach and dilute it enough to let it sit overnight. Then I flush it out once again and that usually cleans it out enough so I don’t have stinky water next spring.
I typically shut the fresh water drain valve after all that.
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Should there be an anode rod in our RV’s water heater?
Dear Dave,
We have a 2018 Vanleigh Vilano 325RL with an Atwood heater. It had no anode rod. Last April we had our holding tanks and the water heater professionally cleaned at the Vanleigh Rally. The technician said it would be beneficial to have an anode rod in our tank and he installed one. What say you, yes or no? —Bob
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”
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