Don't Forget To Relieve WH Pressure

[skyhawk133]

Or you get to take a hot bath...

4th time out. Got a little complacent with the routine. Won't forget again.

[jking46]

Ouch!!!

[under_boost]

ouch! that is one of the first things i do when hooking up to city water or when filling my tank, is open the relief valve while my hwt is filling.

[Ford Idaho]

I'd say hit the showers, but it seem kind of redundant at this point.

[Canadiancrew]

I did that once. Water was not hot but it blew the anode rod out of my hand and covered me along with the water in little bits of the crusty white stuff that was on the rod.

[JoeR]

Been there, done that, got the soaking wet t-shirt....

[TakeItEasy]

Yep done it too.

[wmtire]

Skyhawk, I definitely can relate, but my mental lapse moment was in freezing temps. We'll have to compare notes. LOL

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...dea-52704.html

[BooBoo23]

I did that once, the water was not hot fortunately. I won't do that again as I am a fast learner.

[drhroo]

I love the fact that people on this forum are willing to share their "oops"! An image is worth a thousand words. Although I don't know if it will make me remember not do this or whether I will think of you all with a stupid grin and headshake when I do it myself.

[karrun]

Can someone explain a little more why you need to do this? Is it only when hooking up to city water? We haven't done that yet when camping, just filled the tank. I must admit we are a bit unschooled on the water heater does and donts. It is just this "black box" that we just remember to not turn on until the tanks are full.

[KyDan]

Folks typically drain the water heater when they are not going to need
it for a while.
Some drain it at the end of every trip and some drain it only if it's going to
freeze or it's going to be a long time till next use.
Either way there is almost always a little air trapped in the system so
just because you have shut off the water pump or disconnected the city
water inlet- there still will be pressure in the system until you open a
faucet and let it out.

BTW- I also have pulled the plug without opening a faucet as many others have stated. It's a memorable experience but time dulls the memories and
makes me wonder if I'll ever do it again.

[BooBoo23]

We will assume you have a Suburban water heater. That WH has a sacrificial anode to prevent corrosion in the tank. Your water system will hold pressure if it is working properly, water pump or city water. The anode should be checked periodically for wear or loss of the surface of the anode. Also when you winterize your RV you should drain the tank by removing the anode. Always relieve pressure on the system before removing the anode, either by bleeding it off by opening the relief valve on the tank or by opening your hot water faucets. And yes, always have the tank full of water before you turn on either the electric heater or the propane. Make sure the WH is full by opening the pressure relief valve until you get water coming out, so you don't have air trapped in the top of the tank. To remove the anode you will need a 1 1/16" socket.

[aceinspp]

Yep been there and done that. Like forgetting to put the drain plug in a boat also Later RJD

[Charles Firth]

I always drain my hot water heater during camp break down along with the low water point drains. Last year I did not and I was unable to go camping till much later than I had expected and the water took on a real funky smell that spread through the whole camper. That took a lot of cleaning to get the odor out. It only takes a minute, I am sure it is quicker if you don't relieve the pressure on the tank. To each his own, but that seems to work for me.

[Cowracer]

Why would you be pulling Anode out after a camping trip? Do you drain the tank after every time?

Tim

[karrun]

Originally Posted by Cowracer

Why would you be pulling Anode out after a camping trip? Do you drain the tank after every time?

Tim

I also wonder this. If you completely drain the tank, then forget to fill up the WH before turning it on, then don't you ruin it? If you don't drain it every time, then you won't have this happen. I've heard about draining it for the winter, but this is the first I've heard of draining it between trips.

[Davylee]

Same here, I fill mine up and keep it that till winterizing but then again, longest the water sits is maybe 2 weeks until I am camping again.

[skyhawk133]

I was told due to our hard water, leaving water in the tank just eats up the anode rod faster, and can lead to that rotten egg smell if not drained, so we've been draining it each trip. Usually 2-3 weeks between trips, but I've smelled that rotten egg smell and the time it takes to pull the plug is worth not having that in my camper.

[aceinspp]

I drain mine every every trip to prevent the smell build up. In hot weather does not take but two weeks to get a smell. Hot water heater will fill when you connect to city water. If your using FWT the minute your turn the pump on the tank will fill. Later RJD