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03-08-2023, 12:06 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2022
Location: Houston
Posts: 3
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Atwood Hot Water Heater
Out door drain. Drain plug is hard to get to, on, and off. Any suggestions to extend it add on Elbow pipe to bring end closer to front of water heater? tia.
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03-08-2023, 12:11 PM
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#2
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Site Team
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Modesto
Posts: 20,348
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I use a 1/2 drive ratchet, short wobble extension and thin wall socket. Always start by hand.
__________________
2012 Copper Canyon 273FWRET being towed by a 1994 Ford F350 CC,LB,Dually diesel.
Airlift 5000 bags, Prodigy brake control, 5 gauges on the pillar.Used to tow a '97 Jayco 323RKS.
Now an RVIA registered tech. Retired from Law enforcement in 2008 after 25+ yrs.
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03-08-2023, 01:36 PM
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#3
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Site Team
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,692
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I used the tool in the attachment to remove the plug on the last Atwood. I think you can even get them at some Walmarts. The location of the plug was behind a tube as I recall (been a few years) and it was difficult to get anything to it.
https://www.amazon.com/Camco-Water-H.../dp/B00BMRRZ94
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Danny and Susan, wife of 56 years
2019 Ram 3500 Laramie CC SWB SB 6.4 4x4 4.10
2020 Montana High Country 331RL
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03-08-2023, 01:42 PM
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#4
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,996
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At home I use the same setup as Chuck. On the road, since I usually don't have "every tool in the cabinet", I use two "crescent wrenches"... One to fit on two flats on the drain plug and one to fit on the handle of that wrench to apply "loosening or tightening torque"....
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John
2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
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03-08-2023, 02:32 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Florissant
Posts: 702
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wildcatcreek
Out door drain. Drain plug is hard to get to, on, and off. Any suggestions to extend it add on Elbow pipe to bring end closer to front of water heater? tia.
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I experimented with a radiator petcock and found it to be too slow for drainage. Also, the copper to aluminum was a worry considering dissimilar metal corrosion. My current method is like Chuckster57's. Finding a fairly short socket is a plus. I use 7/8 inch nylon plugs, 3/8 drive ratchet and a short wobble extension.
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Skids
2019 Bullet 248RKS
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03-08-2023, 02:50 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Indiana
Posts: 2,719
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JRTJH,
Maybe the photos are a bit deceiving because of the angle in which they are taken, but it looks like a socket wrench with an extension would fit right in there. Or, is there not enough room for that because of the gas orifice?
Mine has the anode rod, the socket size is 1 1/16 inch. I keep this socket and ratchet exclusively, only for the water heater plug (anode). It servers no other purpose and it's tucked away inside the camper. It's one of the very few tools I keep in the camper that are dedicated for only 1 thing. I have another socket-ratchet set for everything else.
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2019 Montana High Country 375FL
2014 Chevy Duramax HD 6.6 - 3500 Diesel Dully Long bed Crew Cab
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03-08-2023, 04:28 PM
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#7
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,996
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David,
I believe your Montana High Country has a 12 gallon water heater....
There's significantly more room to maneuver a socket behind the burner tube on a 12 gallon water heater than there is on a 6 gallon size.....
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John
2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
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03-08-2023, 04:40 PM
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#8
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Site Team
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,692
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Post #6 is of a 12 gal. Suburban water heater that looks just like mine. Anode rod/drain plug removal is much easier on the Suburban (straight shot) than the drain plug from the 6 gal. Atwood.
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Danny and Susan, wife of 56 years
2019 Ram 3500 Laramie CC SWB SB 6.4 4x4 4.10
2020 Montana High Country 331RL
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03-08-2023, 04:45 PM
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#9
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,996
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sourdough
Post #6 is of a 12 gal. Suburban water heater that looks just like mine. Anode rod/drain plug removal is much easier on the Suburban (straight shot) than the drain plug from the 6 gal. Atwood.
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... Or a 6 gallon Suburban.... There's a lot of "stuff" between the door and the anode/plug on the smaller Suburban, just like on the Atwood.
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John
2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
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03-09-2023, 07:42 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2022
Location: West Coast Florida
Posts: 244
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JRTJH
At home I use the same setup as Chuck. On the road, since I usually don't have "every tool in the cabinet", I use two "crescent wrenches"... One to fit on two flats on the drain plug and one to fit on the handle of that wrench to apply "loosening or tightening torque"....
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That setup would worry me that if it slipped now I'm now replacing more than the rod. I keep an old 1/2" ratchet with a short extension and a $5 socket dedicated for this purpose.
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2018 Outback 299URL
2020 F250 FX4 6.2L 4.30 AR
Equal-i-zer 10K WDH
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03-09-2023, 08:19 AM
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#11
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,996
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kirk's Keystone Outback.
That setup would worry me that if it slipped now I'm now replacing more than the rod. I keep an old 1/2" ratchet with a short extension and a $5 socket dedicated for this purpose.
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I've been removing anode rods this way for roughly 50 years and never had one "slip and damage anything... That said, if you feel comfortable with your procedure and tools, then there's no need to change the way you've been doing things.... My comments weren't, by any means, a "mandate to change" but rather an "alternate procedure that might help someone without having to go buy some special tools they might not have at home"....
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John
2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
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03-16-2023, 10:49 AM
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#12
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Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 13
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I use a socket and about 6 to 8 inch extension - works reasonably well
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