Water heater while in storage

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
wgb1

wgb1

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 20, 2011
Posts
184
Location
NE Texas
Another newb question. What should I do with the water heater while the trailer is stored for a couple of months. We will use our trailer on average about every 2 to 3 months for a few days at a time. Should I drain the water heater after each use or leave as is? Don't want to cause premature failure by using bad storage techniques.

BTW, I call it a water heater and not a "hot" water heater. Hot water does not need to be heated. ;D ;D My wife thinks I am anal for reasons like that! LOL
 
I leave fresh water system (incl heater) full in between uses. If I had to go 3 months then I would drain everything incl the heater. This means no worry about freezing and also DW likes fresh water before we go, we actually drink ours. Even if you don't have to worry about freezing temps it keeps the deposits flushed out of the water heater and gives you a reason to check the pop-off valve, etc. Your city water is treated so its personal choice, especially if you're using bottled and not drinking it.
I second the sanitizing suggestion, a little bleach once at the beginning of every season. Your manual will have the details or give a shout back.
 
path said:
I'm not sure what others will say but I drain mine and leave the drain open.  Be sure to sanitize before use.
Click to expand...
If you leave the drain open, make sure you have outside vents screened to keep the critters out.
 
For 2-3 month or more in storage, I would drain the HW tank.  If you want to save the main tank as a disaster water supply (I live in earthquake country) stabilize it with a bit of chlorine bleach.  Otherwise drain it too. 

Sanitizing the tank at the start of the season is a very good idea.

We have instructions in our library,  give them a look.

Leave the drains shut, lest you acquire a crop of spiders or such.
 
I drain mine after each use but put the plug in loosely.  It is no big deal to drain and refill.  If it has been around 2 months after use I sanitize again.  When I store for the winter it is definitely drained.
 
We don't drink ours, so we just fill the tank at the beginning of the season, and before each trip. End of season, we drain everything. We use the m/h about every month though so it's getting cycled at least that often.  If I was drinking the water, I might re-think this.
 
Leaving the drain plug out and installing screen on all the vents seems like a good idea. My only issue is that I will forget to reinstall the plug when take the trailer out. I suppose I need to leave sticky notes for myself when we do go off. Thanks for the replies everyone. Have a great day.

Walter
 
I'd leave the water in the system, including the heater, unless I expected it to be out of use for 3+ months or possible sub-freezing weather.  And I sanitize once a year.
 
I messed up and left the plug in my drained water heater for 18 months. Green stuff was on the plug when I took it out. I suspect the inside of the tank is green too.  :eek: 
I have filled the HW tank with chlorinated water for past 2 days. When I run the hot water into the sink, I see green particles. I guess that is good, cause some of the mold is coming out. What else should I be doing? I am thinking of heating the water and let it sit hot over night and then flushing water through the HW system for 30 minutes or until green particles are minimal.  Any other ideas that I should be doing? I don't drink the water from my RV.

Thanks.
 
Sunline05
I messed up and left the plug in my drained water heater for 18 months. Green stuff was on the plug when I took it out. I suspect the inside of the tank is green too.  :eek:
Click to expand...
You wouldn't be the first! You're solution will do the trick. I would mix the bleach and run through the entire fresh water system, not just the water heater. Mix it heavy, run all the faucets, shower, etc. until you can smell the bleach at each one. leave it sit overnight and rinse. Keep doing that and the green will stop coming out eventually. Then flush with clear water until no more smell of bleach at the faucets. I've never tried using the water heater during this procedure but don't think it is necessary.
 
Thanks. That is actually what I did, heavy dose of chlorine in the fresh water tank and through the entire water system including the water heater for several days. Turned on WH overnight. Then flushed the system with fresh water via hose on fresh water intake. Ran enough water to refill the WH 2-3 times (turned it off), and water looks clear now. Thanks for the reassurance that I was going in the right direction. I will leave the plug out in the future; was concerned about bugs getting into the tank.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 1,110 (members: 14, guests: 1,096)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,972
Posts
1,388,443
Members
137,721
Latest member
Dmac3003
Back
Top Bottom