Water in my RV Hot Water Heater when I store it for 4-5 weeks?

[Derby6]

Seems like a big waste heating all that water for a month or more and no one using it.

I've never had the liberty to leave for more than 1-2 weeks on a vacation.  Got me curious of what the folks that snowbird do with their places in the winter.  Drain and winterize like an RV or leave up and running?  My gut tells me they leave their water heater on and just turn it way down.

 

[blw2]

Note: You have a Suburban and the only way to drain it is to remove the anode rod. Some replace the anode rod every year, but that is not really necessary depended on water.  If the rod has not totally disintegrated you can still use it.  Mine will last several years and I usually fill my RV with well water from home.  On mine I have a drain line hanging under it along with lines to drain fresh water tank and both hot and cold water lines.  I do leave water in the heater all summer and have no problems.  Sanitize the system every spring.

One comment on draining methods
This may not be 100% kosher for some reason, but what i do is this
with the water pump off and the hose feed off or disconnected
I crack the TPRV open
then I open the hot water side of my outdoor shower, which happens to be very near the water heater on the outside wall and just below it....
I wait till the water flow slows or stops, depending on how low I want it to be.
Then I close the valves.

On mine, the discharge piping is at approx the same elevation on the tank as teh drain plug anode rod tap, so it seems like the same difference to me.
No tools required.

 

[Rene T]

I've never had the liberty to leave for more than 1-2 weeks on a vacation.  Got me curious of what the folks that snowbird do with their places in the winter.  Drain and winterize like an RV or leave up and running?  My gut tells me they leave their water heater on and just turn it way down.

My domestic water use to be heated by my furnace using a indirect water heater. If I left for a long period of time and I would just shut it off. I put a toggle switch on the sensing probe.
Now I have  solar hot water system and I use a Rinia demand type propane heater as a back up. This year, I installed a heat exchanger in the place of my 80 gallon storage tank and I'm now using the hot water coming off the roof/collectors to heat my basement a little. I set my thermostat at about 50 degrees. This year so far up in NH, I've used a little bit over 1/2 of a tank of fuel oil. I attribute that to El Nino and my heat exchanger.  I love it

 

[Arch Hoagland]

Rene T said:

"Now I have  solar hot water system and I use a Rinia demand type propane heater as a back up."

We've talked about doing that.  What is a ballpark figure for the solar water heater system?

 

[Rene T]

Rene T said:

"Now I have  solar hot water system and I use a Rinia demand type propane heater as a back up."

We've talked about doing that.  What is a ballpark figure for the solar water heater system?

Arch,
I didn't mean top hijack this thread. Send me a PM or start another thread. Thanks.

 

[javandyke]

Ya'll realize that there is about a quart or more of water left in the bottom of the tank after draining it don't you? I always syphon that out when winterizing but I never drain the tank over the summer season unless I have reason to believe I've got some "bad" water in there from a questionable source.

 

[scottydl]

Ya'll realize that there is about a quart or more of water left in the bottom of the tank after draining it don't you? I always syphon that out when winterizing but I never drain the tank over the summer season unless I have reason to believe I've got some "bad" water in there from a questionable source.

Bacteria can grow in any warm water... the more that's left sitting stagnant, the more "environment" that remains and can result in stinky water the next time you use it.  RV hot water tanks are well insulated and keep water hot/warm for quite awhile.  The small amount of residual water at the bottom of the hot water tank after draining would probably cool off pretty quickly and not be as prone to bacteria growth.

 

[Prior member]

For you people that drain your water heaters...

When you go on a long trip of a month or more do you drain your sticks and bricks water heater?

Prior to going snow birding each year I drain my house water heater

Between rv trips in the summer I don't but there is a heck of a big difference between  30 gallons of water that is sealed on both sides by pressurized water, and six gallons that is not sealed.

When we bought our first travel trailer many years ago, the instruction booklet recommended draining it if it was going to be left for any length of time.
I have done that ever since and in my opinion, it is good since it cleans out any sediment.
If I will be using it a week or so later, I don't.

I don't know much about the anode drain since mine have been all gas, but it only take me a half a minute to unscrew the plug and drain it, and then a half a minute to screw it back in.

To each his own, but  that is what I do

Jack L