How Often Do You Drain Your Hot Water Heater?

[oldsmasma]

We come and go over the summer and only drain the hwt come fall.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by CGK

We drain the WH after each trip, unless we will be heading out for another trip within two weeks or so. I use the anode rod with the drain (https://www.rvautoparts.com/TSA-200-...SABEgIsgPD_BwE), so it's easy - but fairly slow - to drain the tank. Included the link as an example only - these are available from several merchants, although the price often varies quite a bit from one to the next. Have never had WH odor or rust problems, but it sounds as if others get that same result by leaving the tank full....perhaps you can't go wrong either way, since the weight of that 6 gallons of water is less than 50 lbs and shouldn't affect anything. So take your pick!

You realize that this leaves about 1/2" of water laying in the bottom, right? So I'm not sure what that's really doing for you.

[bedubya]

Originally Posted by Greg in michigan

Not sure if it's right or not but in the 27 years we've been rving ( started 1992 ) we drain ours once a year when I winterize the rv. Flush it then also.

Same here. (not as many years)


Do people drain their home water heater when they go on vacation?

[babock]

Originally Posted by bedubya

Do people drain their home water heater when they go on vacation?

Exactly. I have a couple of vacation homes which I sometimes don't visit for over a month. I never drain the water heaters. One is on well water in our community too.

[Jayhawker]

Originally Posted by Chester Hill

Going on quite a few trips during the summer with a few weeks of idle time between. Should I be draining my hot water heater after every trip?

We drain the water heater at the end of the season, and flush the tank with a water heater flush wand to remove the sediment in the tank.

[Oaklevel]

35 plus years of camping only drain at the end of the season. The anode rod has never left a bad taste.

[Slow Moon]

Never had to winterize, so never drained, for seven years on my 15-yr old 5er.

[Tom48]

SoCal, we don't normally have to winterize, but with the hard water, I have to flush the tank couple times a year. I drain the fresh water tank between trips (unless we go outback to back) Then I refill before a trip with our nice, heavily clorinated city water. Helps keep system clean between annual sanitizing.

[Philkaty]

I don't have to winterize our RV. But I am going to flush it out here soon.

[dave Durkee]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

X3

X4

[richp]

Hi,


For years I had sulphury smelling water, somewhat dependent on what campground I filled the tank last. But it was often enough that it was an issue -- particularly in the summer, when the full water heater percolated in the sun for weeks at a time between trips.



Based on suggestions in other internet posts, I started draining the heater -- not the water tank itself -- upon arrival back in storage. Since then I have never had an occurrence of sulphury water.


Just another data point, FWIW.


Rich Phillips

[TheWolfPaq82]

I don't drain ours. If it sits in driveway for a few weeks, before leaving on trip I just hook from house to the city water connection, go in TT and turn on the HOT Water tap at each faucet and let them run till I feel I've run 6 or more gals of water out. WH is 6 gals, so if I run about 10 gals out, I've pretty much refreshed the water in the tank.

[ronheater70]

I drain a day or two after every trip I return from.

[JoeNanMinn]

I'm not saying that you should or shouldn't. Friends that we camp regularly with went 5 weeks in between outings. Left their water heater full. Temps during that time period were not terribly hot, mostly mid to upper 80's. We went with them, got set up. There hot water stunk something awful for the first day. It took alot of water through it to get it cleaned up to where it didn't smell. He drains his water filters like someone else mentioned too. Just leaves the hot water tank filled in between outings. After this, not anymore, each time he comes home he drains it. It takes very little effort to do it so why not? Why not error on the side of caution if anything else?

[bsmall]

Just drain the hot water tank when I change the Anode Rod about every 12 to 18 months.

[Mod man]

i drain mine every trip

[danking49]

Once when I winterize in the fall. I never drain the hot water heater in the Florida mobile home and it sits unused for 6 months a year with no problems.

[Frank DeFeo]

Living in Florida I don’t need to winterize. I flush my heater once a year and change the anode rod at the same time.

[Lighting546]

I drain mine twice a year and check the anode at the same time, I also keep a spare anode on hand so if the anode has too much corrosion on it I can replace it at that time. Now that I have a water conditioning system at home it doesn't corrode the anode as quickly as it used to so I can usually get 18-24 months out of an anode rod.

I also drain and sanitize the FW tank and water lines every 6 months. Which coincidentally corresponds to how often the water filters have to be changed, I have a whole house filter and an RO filter system for cooking, making ice and drinking water.

[Markharmon]

I drain mine after each trip and it’s going to be several weeks before the next one. I also dump the filter case now after a trip. Camped May 1-2 then went again June 7. Found water in filter was stinky. So dump it and washed it. After trip emptied and left it off until next trip.