Water heater

yeabuddy · 05-12-2013, 05:35 AM

I just read that leaving water in the water heater can contaminate and permanently damage the water heater. We left the camper a week ago today and couldn't open the water heater to drain it because I didn't have the right tool. so its been sitting full ever since and we won't get back up there until this coming Thursday night. do you think everything will be okay or should I call the campground owners and or neighbors and see if they can drain it for us?
Thanks in advance for your help,
yeabuddy

I read it in my new manual its on the 57th page if you scroll through the PDF. Actual page is 51 in the manual.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc...wCkCQo4pfvtYFg

**hankpage** · 05-12-2013, 05:43 AM

You should be fine. Sometimes minerals in the water can react with the tank or anode and cause a pressure build up. If leaving water in the tank for any time I leave one of the hot faucets open a little to release it. A few weeks should not harm anything but flush the system when you get there as it may have built up odors. JM2¢, Hank

Festus2 · 05-12-2013, 05:49 AM

There is a thread currently running on the forum that is dealing with this same topic. I believe the concern is, that over time, there may be a buildup of deposits in the tank. This buildup may occur faster in some areas than others - especially if you live or camp in areas that have certain mineral content in the water.

It has been suggested that to avoid this problem, you might consider mixing some vinegar (2-3 gallons) into the HW tank and let it sit overnight while it is being heated. The next day the tank is flushed. I think this process is much like the one that is done from time to time with your coffee maker or iron.

I've not been aware of any contamination or permanent damage that can be done to the tank by leaving your water in there between trips or for longer periods. In my case, I've never flushed or drained the tank after each trip and have never had any issues.

I'd be interested in knowing the source of your information.

SteveC7010 · 05-12-2013, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yeabuddy

I just read that leaving water in the water heater can contaminate and permanently damage the water heater. We left the camper a week ago today and couldn't open the water heater to drain it because I didn't have the right tool. so its been sitting full ever since and we won't get back up there until this coming Thursday night. do you think everything will be okay or should I call the campground owners and or neighbors and see if they can drain it for us?
Thanks in advance for your help,
yeabuddy

I'm wondering where you read this information. Most of us have water in our heaters from the beginning to the end of the season every year with no problems. I've never heard this one before.

We seem to get a lot of disinformation via "I read....", "My buddy told me...", "I heard about...." I always ask for a source when things are brought to the conversation like this.

SAD · 05-12-2013, 06:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yeabuddy

I just read that leaving water in the water heater can contaminate and permanently damage the water heater. We left the camper a week ago today and couldn't open the water heater to drain it because I didn't have the right tool. so its been sitting full ever since and we won't get back up there until this coming Thursday night. do you think everything will be okay or should I call the campground owners and or neighbors and see if they can drain it for us?
Thanks in advance for your help,
yeabuddy

Leaving water in the heater (in iteself) will not damage the heater at all.... It's a tank... Designed to hold water

What can damange it is a worn out (exhausted) annode rod. This should be checked once or twice a year - depending on quality of water you normally have.

A full tank can also freeze, expand, and rupture the tank - if weather conditions are right and the water is not heated.

I almost never drain my HWH. With the exception of inspection of annode rod.

**JRTJH** · 05-12-2013, 06:09 AM

Yup, I love my brother in law (after all, he is my DW's kin) BUT !!! His knowledge of RVing stems from having rented a motorhome for a week several years ago. He sometimes feels that he is an expert when he visits and stands by offering me "sage advice" while I do maintenance on my rig. I do know his intentions are honorable, but often times his advice is not the best or the latest "industry opinion". That being said, I trust him, but not with my RV I prefer to

I agree with all the other comments, water in the tank won't cause a problem. About the only issue I can imagine (and this is going "way out there") is that having a full HWH during storage may increase action of the anode rod and cause it to deteriorate faster. All that "stuff" has to go somewhere, so as the anode disolves, the flakes drop away and settle on the floor of the HWH tank. There is a caution in the owner's manual about flushing the sediment from the tank as it can insulate the bottom of the tank and cause it to overheat damaging the glass lining and weakening the steel tank. As I said, That's going "WAY OUT THERE" and in all my years of RVing, I've never had a HWH tank fail. I can state from personal experience that you won't have an issue with water stored in a hot water heater for a couple of weeks, provided it doesn't freeze.

yeabuddy · 05-12-2013, 06:14 AM

I read it in my new manual its on the 57th page if you scroll through the PDF. Actual page is 51 in the manual.
But I'll take it from all your experience that I'm okay. thanks a lot for the quick replies.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc...wCkCQo4pfvtYFg

Festus2 · 05-12-2013, 06:24 AM

yeabuddy -
My take on the manual (p57) is "that if you are not using the RV" means for long storage periods or over the winter. I don't interpret that to mean between trips or during the regular camping season.

SAD · 05-12-2013, 06:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yeabuddy

I read it in my new manual its on the 57th page if you scroll through the PDF. Actual page is 51 in the manual.
But I'll take it from all your experience that I'm okay. thanks a lot for the quick replies.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc...wCkCQo4pfvtYFg

I guess the distinction is "storage".... 1 week is not storage in my mind. Storage is the time between fall and spring that the unit will not be used. My $0.02.

yeabuddy · 05-12-2013, 06:30 AM

Excellent! that makes me feel better. thanks again for all the quick replies everyone.

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