Water tastes salty?

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Paulstrailer

Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2012
Posts
6
Has anyone ever had a saltwater taste from an rv?

I never had until this morning. The water simply tastes salty and I never had this problem before. I'm hooked up to the house water which tastes fine. I installed a magnessium water chemical anode about 8 months ago and flushed the hot water tank this last Dec. Any help would be appreciated. Paul
 
Not sure what a Magnesium Water Chemical anode is or where it fits in the installed Water System.  If you are talking about the Anode in the Water Heater then I can't imagine it causing Salty Water.

Not being a Chemist I kdon't know if a by-product of the Mag Chemical Anode may be salt and if so whether that could permeate the water system during long periods on non-use.

I would suspect the Fresh Water Tank (house water tastes fine) has altered during non-use, I would drain and sanitize the fresh Water Tank and I would do the Water Heater Tamk at the same time.



 
I doubt it's the anode.. More likely the water coming into the RV.  I have had "Salty" water in a few places.

Check what comes out the water tap. (park tap).
 
Paul,
You mention being hooked up to the "house" water.  Are you at your brick & stick home or at a park somewhere?
Regardless, is it possible the "house" water supply has been treated by a water softener?  I'm not sure how that would make a difference as to why you taste the salt in the RV only.  ???  But other than the salty taste coming from the waters source as John mentioned, which may be for the same reason I asked, I can't think of any other way.  A shot in the dark says I. 
 
I'l like to thank all of you for your quick and helpful replies. I flushed the tank and removed the anode for a couple days and the water doesn't tast salty. I still don't know where it came from. The rv water comes from the house spigot and the water is from a public system. We hav always had very good tasing water in the house. Best regards, Paul
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
If this is an Atwood water heater, leave the anode out. The aluminum clad walls in an Atwood heater make an anode neither necessary nor desirable.
Why is this? Can it do more harm than good or is it that it really isn't needed and is a waste of money? The reason I ask is we spent about two months is AZ this winter. I was told I should put an Anode in the WH before we went. When I got home I checked it and it was about 25% eaten away. I have an Atwood heater. Should I use an Anode or not for these occasions?
 
Atwood says NO - the aluminum clad inner lining is all the anode it will ever need.  And as with any aftermarket modification, Atwood says they will not be responsible for what happens.    I suppose one could say that it would be better to have a replaceable anode eaten away  than to have the tank wall corrode, but tank wall failures in an Atwood are rare as hens teeth.

Here is what Atwood states in their service manual:

ATWOOD CLAD TANK
The Atwood water heater tank is constructed of a core of high strength aluminum. The interior of the tank consists of a
15% thickness of type 7072 aluminum (pure aluminum and zinc) that is fused to the core during the rolling process.
This material protects the tank from the affects of heavy metals and salts found in waters throughout the country. It is
anodic to these heavy metals and acts much like an anode in a steel glass lined tank except it will last much longer.
There is also no need to replace an anode on a yearly basis.

Flushing the tank on a regular basis has been found to be helpful in insuring the best performance of your water hater
and adding to the useful life of the tank. For flushing instructions see your owners manual or contact Atwood for a copy
of our recommended procedures.

Can it harm it to have an anode installed anyway? Maybe. Anode rods have been known to weld themselves into the drain plug threads, which were never intended to have a sacrificial anode installed.

It is my opinion that purchasing an anode for an Atwood heater is a waste of money and at best a neutral proposition. I'm sure those who spend a lot of time where the water in highly alkaline can quote local wisdom and anecdotal evidence to the contrary, though. Do what you think is best.
 

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