Motor Aid water heater

[schoolsout2]

I have an Atwood water heater with Motor aid.  As I am in the north and have drained it for winter, I was wondering if it is ok to travel with the water heater drained?  We will head south in January and I do not want to fill the system until I get far enough south that freezing is not a problem.  This is the first winter for us with this unit.  Last year I filled the system then was held up from leaving and I had to heat things for a few days.

 

[donn]

Would be fine.  Transport company drove it empty from manufacturer to dealer that way.

 

[Ned]

Not a problem, just don't turn it on   The motoraid won't harm the empty tank, but the electric and gas heaters should be kept off until the tank is full of water.

 

[schoolsout2]

Yes I guess it would have been driven empty.  No I would not turn it on until it is full of water.

 

[Karsty]

Just when you think you are starting to learn things then you read about something that might as well be Greek. "Atwood water heater with motor aid". What the heck is motor aid??

I looked it up and come up with this article. Seemed to make some sense to me so I thought I would share it with any green horns, like myself, that just don't have a clue what you all are talking about half the time.  :-[

 

[Karsty]

Speaking of the Atwood HW Heater. Can anyone tell me what the metal tube is in the below picture. I have a blue arrow pointed to the tube.

Also ... I notice that their is some green corrosion around the brass fitting where it joins with the plastic tubes. Can I assume that water is leaking from here before I go ahead and tighten the fitting up??

 

[appsol]

That is the heat exchange tube which would be connected to the coach engine cooling system if you had Motor Aid.  The Motor Aid feature heats the water in the water heater while driving by circulating engine coolant through that tube so you always have hot water when traveling and when you arrive at your destination.

 

[Karsty]

That is the heat exchange tube which would be connected to the coach engine cooling system if you had Motor Aid.  The Motor Aid feature heats the water in the water heater while driving by circulating engine coolant through that tube so you always have hot water when traveling and when you arrive at your destination.

Thank you ... kinda what I thought after reading the article I posted below regarding the hot water tank. Just wanted to confirm.