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Old 11-22-2017, 09:42 AM   #1
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How to drain water heater

2015 Forester 3051s. I see the bypass on the blue line under the fridge and unscrewed the red line under RV to drain but not much water came out. Is there another knob I am missing to drain the water heater. Thanks. Click image for larger version

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Old 11-22-2017, 09:49 AM   #2
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Never mind. Have to turn RV on so water pump works. [emoji23] lol [emoji23]
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Old 11-22-2017, 09:50 AM   #3
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If you have a tank type water heater, then you have a nylon drain plug on the front of the water heater if it's the Atwood brand, and you remove the anode rod to drain if a Suburban brand.




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Old 11-22-2017, 09:51 AM   #4
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Take the plug out of the water heater . if it does not have a plastic plug it is the anode rod you remove to drain.

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Old 11-22-2017, 09:53 AM   #5
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Ok you are correct once your rig is in bypass mode that red drain line is the rigs low point drain. However in order to drain the water heater you will need to remove the plastic plug located behind the water heater panel on the outside. If you need a visual just search YouTube for winterizing an RV. There are literally hundreds of videos that will show exactly how to remove the plug and drain. Add Forester to the search you may even find your exact rig lol. Good luck and I love the 3051
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Old 11-22-2017, 09:54 AM   #6
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The close valves to water heater and open bypass before you winterize

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Old 11-22-2017, 10:21 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by kceezie View Post
2015 Forester 3051s. I see the bypass on the blue line under the fridge and unscrewed the red line under RV to drain but not much water came out. Is there another knob I am missing to drain the water heater. Thanks. Attachment 156976Attachment 156977Attachment 156978
From you 1st picture it looks like you have 3 valves to bypass the WH. The one in the picture and a another one (probably in red pipe) near the top of the WH need to be closed and the bypass valve on the vertical blue pipe needs to be opened
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Old 11-22-2017, 11:26 AM   #8
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Ok you are correct once your rig is in bypass mode that red drain line is the rigs low point drain. However in order to drain the water heater you will need to remove the plastic plug located behind the water heater panel on the outside. If you need a visual just search YouTube for winterizing an RV. There are literally hundreds of videos that will show exactly how to remove the plug and drain. Add Forester to the search you may even find your exact rig lol. Good luck and I love the 3051
Drain your water heater via the plastic plug yes

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Old 11-22-2017, 11:26 AM   #9
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If you have a tank type water heater, then you have a nylon drain plug on the front of the water heater if it's the Atwood brand, and you remove the anode rod to drain if a Suburban brand.




Yes

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Old 11-22-2017, 11:27 AM   #10
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Always turn the water heater off

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Old 11-22-2017, 12:02 PM   #11
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Rinse the water heater to get loose scale out. You may also want to go thru the extra step of soaking the tank with vinegar to really clean out scale:
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Old 11-22-2017, 04:49 PM   #12
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To drain a Suburban water heater, raise the Pressure Safety Value and let off the pressure before removing the anode rod. Prevents a geyser at the anode port! Leave the PSV up (open) until the tank fully drains then close and reinstall the anode rod.
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Old 11-26-2017, 11:24 AM   #13
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Once I drain my tank i take a wet vac with a small attachment and I suck out any sediment out .I think that helps keep the bottom of the tank dry any less chance of rusting
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Old 11-26-2017, 11:36 AM   #14
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To drain a Suburban water heater, raise the Pressure Safety Value and let off the pressure before removing the anode rod. Prevents a geyser at the anode port! Leave the PSV up (open) until the tank fully drains then close and reinstall the anode rod.
Definitely open the valve first, and I suggest you flush the tank to remove the scale inside. A water heater tank rinser is a cheap tool and a big help.

If your drain is an anode rod, this is an excellent chance to inspect it.

.

Top = good... bottom = bad!

I typically get four years out of them, but your use and water chemistry may vary. They're cheap, so better safe than sorry.

Another suggestion I have for winterizing - whatever lines you bypass while you're putting RV antifreeze in the system, un-bypass them when you're done. One less thing to worry about in the spring.

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