Hot Water Heater Drain Plug? Cougar Xlite 29REV

[chris199]

This unit has a brass plug that just wont come loose to drain the HWH. My Passport had a nylon plug.

Now there are two drains just under it....on the driver's side....just inside the tires....behind one of the axles. Is one of these the hot water drain?

I have the unit all winterized....just not sure the HWH is empty.

Any help/insight would be very much appreciated!

[Festus2]

If you haven't removed the drain plug from the HW heater, then the tank is still full and the winterizing process is far from being finished. If you leave water in the tank, it may freeze which would cause MAJOR problems!
When you were winterizing, did you find and turn off the HW tank bypass valve? If you didn't then your HW tank may be full of the pink stuff but it would have taken at least 6 gallons of antifreeze in order to fill up the tank.

You need to determine what you have in your tank ---nothing, water, or antifreeze---- and then get that HW tank drain plug loose and eventually opened.

The two lines that you see protruding from the underbelly are low-point drains ---- one for hot water, the other for cold. These should have been opened when you started the winterizing process and then closed when you started pumping the pink stuff through the lines.

[chris199]

Yup....found the HW bypass....all is good there. Did open the two low pt drains. Ranpink stuff thru all faucets incl outside shower and toilet. Should be good there.

Looks like I have to figure out how to loosen that metal drain plug out. I used some nut loosening spray...didn't touch it at all. May have to have the dealer handle with an air wrench.

Thanks for confirming I do have to get that plug out. The nylon one in my Passport was much easier to deal with.

[JRTJH]

Chris199,

Use caution with an impact wrench on the drain plug. It is mounted in an aluminum threaded fitting which is welded to the thin tank walls. Overtorquing it (loosening or tightening) can easily crack your tank wall creating even more problems. Once you do get it off, always, ALWAYS use teflon tape on the threads. The tape is the only thing that prevents the brass plug from becoming an "anode rod" and corroding in place.

If you aren't equipped to get the plug out, taking it to the dealer is a wise move. The cost of them removing the plug is much cheaper than a new hot water heater.

[Festus2]

John -
I pretty sure that the drain plug (with anode) on my Suburban HW is not brass. A magnet will stick to it and it doesn't have the "brassy color" to it.
I use Teflon tape but my reason for using it was always to end up with a better connection and for ease of threading into and out of the fitting on the tank.
I didn't know about the Teflon tape's ability to prevent corrosion or acting like a sacrificial zinc for the drain plug. I thought it was used to reduce or prevent leaks and to act as a lubricant.

When I remove the anode and plug to drain the tank, it is always eaten away in an area close to the plug itself and extending outwards for about an inch or so. I would guess that 90% of the anode is still intact and "uneaten".

The inside/tank female part of the drain plug connection seems to be okay - no signs of being eaten away but there is some calcium-like deposits on the inner threads. The plug itself does have some rust on it but not much.

???

[JRTJH]

Festus,

I don't think the drain plug is brass. Chris199 said his plug was brass, so I called it that for clarity. I believe it's actually a cheap steel alloy that doesn't rust easily. The teflon tape helps the threads "slide" against each other, coating the thread surface of both the tank fitting and the drain plug. That coating prevents metal/metal contact (but doesn't prevent 100% contact) and as such prevents corrosion from forming which would "fuse" the two components together. There will be some galvanic corrosion between the tank and the plug, but the teflon tape will prevent a significant metal/metal contact and prevent most of the galvanic corrosion from forming on the threads. The teflon tape also helps seal any possible water leakage that might have occurred. With the teflon tape on the drain plug, it will come out "next year" but as you know (or will learn) without the tape, the drain plug is much more difficult to remove. In some situations, if it's been a couple of years, the drain plug won't come out without damaging the tank and/or the plug.

[Ayotte]

I would say if you have the right size socket and a extension and swing bar you should be able to break it loose.

[lorax614]

If the tank is full of water turning the heater on and letting everything heat up might expand the aluminum tank and make the steel plug slightly looser. Different metals expand differently and at different rates.Turn the heater off before trying to loosen the plug. Use extreme caution when loosening the plug so as to not get scalded. Once the plug is loose allow the water to cool before removing completely.

Don't know if this will work but it is easy enough to try.

Hope this helps.

[Outbackmel]

The writer with the issue states his unit is a 2012 model. That plug simply "appears" to have been put in without teflon tape and tightened past the recommended torque. These plugs are NOT BRASS. They can be a BEAR to get out and understandably cause concern of stripping the housing.

I happen to be at home with my RV in it's resting spot in the mountains of N Georgia. I winterized it 2 weeks ago in anticipation of the first freeze coming before I would use it again. In doing so, each season, I replace the Anode Rod. I happen to have a new one, in the package, for a Surburban Heater, right in front of me as I respond. It is packaged and sold by Camco.

The pinciples for removal:

* allow water to cool and turn water off and open hot water faucet.
* ensure water is cool.
* Open the pressure release valve on the water heater itself to release pressure.
* use a 1 1/16th socket to remove old plug.

Install new plug as follows:

* Use teflon tape, 1 1/2 turns on the plug thread in the direction of tightening.
* Insert teflon taped rod; DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN; hand snug and then with a maximum force of 7 to 8 lbs of torque.
* turn on the water supply.
* inspect for any leaks and tighten rod slightly to ensure it is not leaking.

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That's all she wrote. I use my RV several times a winter and re-winterize every last night of usage. Never have any issues after installing the winterizing valve to the water pump. It is critical that all water be removed from the system. Unless or course you store your unit in south Florida
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