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Old 04-29-2021, 08:21 AM   #1
Camping family
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Water heater

Quick question. When you guys and gals return from a trip. Do you drain your water heater or not. I make sure it’s turned off but have not been draining it. Just wonder what everyone else does.
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Old 04-29-2021, 08:53 AM   #2
Javi
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Originally Posted by Camping family View Post
Quick question. When you guys and gals return from a trip. Do you drain your water heater or not. I make sure it’s turned off but have not been draining it. Just wonder what everyone else does.
Depends on how soon I will go out again.. couple of weeks... nope let it sit... more than that I'll go ahead and drain it and the FW tank..
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Old 04-29-2021, 09:23 AM   #3
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I think it would also make a difference what time of year it is. If you keep your rig ready to run if a hurricane is coming when in season, I would keep the rig plugged in, fridge working, tanks empty and fresh tank full as well as the water heater full.
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Old 04-30-2021, 05:50 AM   #4
ChuckS
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I drain my hot water heater and low point drains as well as remove anode and clean out the water heater tank after I come back from a trip.. I dont like to let the sediment form the anode lay down in the bottom of the tank

I run dual water filters so not worried about sediment from water source as filters traps before water ever comes into fifth wheel

Also.. in high temp areas the longer water sits in an "open" system the more likely hood that you may get some coliform or other contaminant issues you don't really want

After a few weeks of the water siting in fresh water tank, lines and water heater tank there is no "free chlorine" within the water...

The fresh water tank "Is Not Sealed" due to an Open overboard vent line. .anything can find its way into the water tank from that open port



YMMV
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Old 04-30-2021, 07:00 AM   #5
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I'm just the opposite. Our trailer sits in our yard and has power, water and sewer hookups - it is our guest home and "escape pod".
  • We don't drain the water heater or the tank after a trip. (We do, of course, dump & rinse the waste tanks!)
  • We DO go out every week and run the generator and appliances (e.g. AC) for 3-4 minutes AND we run all the facets/toilets for 2-3 minutes.
  • We add water using a 2 filter setup. This regular use seems to work fine for us (for multiple rigs and over several decades). We end up cycling through the water enough that it remains fresh. We drain the fresh water into a row of big oleander bushes that help shelter the trailer.
  • Our tank fill line is by hose connection in the water closet. This fitting is capped when not in use. Our fresh water overflow/vent line has a cover and an internal screen, so we aren't worried about anything getting in that way.
So, the bottom line is that we are fortunate to have our rig here at our property and we consider our trailer to be "in use" all the time. Rarely does the winter temperature drop low enough to be an issue. Once a year, I drain everything, inspect the anode, flush out the heater, sanitize the tank and lines, etc. as others have described. This has never been a problem for us.
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Old 04-30-2021, 11:33 AM   #6
RickV
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LewisB View Post
I'm just the opposite. Our trailer sits in our yard and has power, water and sewer hookups - it is our guest home and "escape pod".
  • We don't drain the water heater or the tank after a trip. (We do, of course, dump & rinse the waste tanks!)
  • We DO go out every week and run the generator and appliances (e.g. AC) for 3-4 minutes AND we run all the facets/toilets for 2-3 minutes.
  • We add water using a 2 filter setup. This regular use seems to work fine for us (for multiple rigs and over several decades). We end up cycling through the water enough that it remains fresh. We drain the fresh water into a row of big oleander bushes that help shelter the trailer.
  • Our tank fill line is by hose connection in the water closet. This fitting is capped when not in use. Our fresh water overflow/vent line has a cover and an internal screen, so we aren't worried about anything getting in that way.
So, the bottom line is that we are fortunate to have our rig here at our property and we consider our trailer to be "in use" all the time. Rarely does the winter temperature drop low enough to be an issue. Once a year, I drain everything, inspect the anode, flush out the heater, sanitize the tank and lines, etc. as others have described. This has never been a problem for us.
This pretty much mimics what we do. I actually use it as a my Man Cave when we are not traveling, I go out there almost every morning and watch TV as I get up pretty early and The Wife like to burn daylight.
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