Dear Gary,
I was told that it is best to drain your hot water tank after each excursion, so I replaced the anode with a petcock. I now drain the water out but am curious as to the soundness of this plumbing exchange. Any advice would be appreciated. —Gary G.
Dear Gary,
As far as draining after each trip, a lot depends on how often your excursions actually take place. Personally, I would only drain the water heater in preparation for winter storage, a lengthy period of non-use, when servicing it, when chlorinating the fresh water system, or perhaps when you encounter some foul water during a trip.
Remember, the anode in the water heater is a necessity when the heater is in use, but only for Suburban and the older American Appliance brands of water heaters. Water passing through the tank creates an electrolysis that will literally attack the tank from the inside. The anode is the sacrificial component that prevents the tank itself from becoming damaged. If you still want to drain the tank, simply remove the anode/drain plug.
On the older American Appliance heaters, the anode had a separate connection on the rear of the heater, plus they were originally equipped with a drain cock anyway. I realize it is probably easier to drain with the valve, but it’s more important to have that anode in the tank. In the long term, it will be worth the extra time it may take to drain the heater between trips.
As a side note, I’ve seen some misinformation posted on online blogs and wish to clarify when to replace the anode. Suburban recommends replacing the anode annually or when the rod has about 25% of its original size left. Heavy travelers may need to replace the anode more than once per year but, typically, once per camping season usually suffices. If you are a full-timer or travel often, check the anode at six-month intervals and replace it when it’s 75% deteriorated.
Read more from Gary Bunzer at the RVdoctor.com. See Gary’s videos about RV repair and maintenance.
##RVT885
There are step-by-step to drain a water heater. Step 1: turn off the power supply to the water heater, step 2: turn off the water supply, step 3: remove the busted drain valve, step 4: drain the water. Pro tip: ask someone to open a hot water faucet in your house to push the air out. if you have a broken water heater drain valve, you might want to replace it right after emptying the tank.
Thanks so much for sharing! I am very interested in your way to drain the water heater. Extremely useful not only for me but also for many other people.
A few years ago I had an anode with a petcock on my 10 gallon 3-way water heater. Going into winter, I drained the tank, leaving the petcock open. That November we hit -22 and in the spring I sadly discovered that the petcock had only partially drained the tank before it failed, causing an $1,100.00 dollar split water heater. On reading the owners manual for the new heater I ran across the comment that anodes were not needed as the tank has it’s own anode type material built in. Now I use a Parker MV608-8 mini ball valve, to which I screw in a drain hose so I can drain the tank away from the coach. No more problems.
I removed my anode because it made the water smell like rotten eggs. ( Florida) replaced it with a brass ball valve. That was in 2004. Tank is still good 14 years later.
And make sure you have relieved the pressure before attempting to remove the anode rod. Makes for less surprises!
Ha-ha-ha-ha… and remember to let the water cool too! Ha-ha-ha-ha….. Sheeesch.🤔
Another option
NW Leisure TSA200 Tank Saver Anode with drain valve Amazon $23
Those petcock anodes are pricey. I just replace mine every two years sans petcock, costs about $12 and takes 10 minutes.
I look forward to the answer to George. We have had our trailer four years. We have traveled in excess of 25000 miles in it and still have the original anode with maybe 10 percent gone. I have been told it is because I have an inline charcoal filter. Any truth to this.
We live in our rv full time and our anode is still 100% after 2 years. Is this because the quality of water that we are using?
Thanks