Suburban Anode Rod Question - Page 2

halfprice · 05-12-2013, 05:28 PM

One more thing. When I first drained the tank there were lots of pieces of the old anode in the tank. I used a Water Heater Tank Rinser that I got at Camping World. It worked great. It makes a strong stream of water that cleaned everything out of the tank. Well worth the $6

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...k-rinser/49070

Jerry

Jim W · 05-13-2013, 05:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by halfprice

The you tube video I saw said the vinegar help remove deposits in the tank. Since I purchased the 5th used and after seeing what was left of the anode I figured the vinegar wouldn't hurt.

Now that I know about this I'll be checking the anode regularly and most likely draining the water heater after each trip.

Now is there anything else I should be doing?????

Jerry

Jerry, are you asking about the water system when you ask what else I should be doing?

If so you should clean and purify the water system yearly. I do this every time I take the camper out of winter storage. There are many products and or home remedies that are used to clean the water system and its holding tanks. I would do a search on this site looking for water tank cleaning. Or you can purchase a product called Spring Fresh Water System cleaner from camping world and follow the directions on the bottle.

Jim W.

halfprice · 05-13-2013, 06:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim W

Jerry, are you asking about the water system when you ask what else I should be doing?

If so you should clean and purify the water system yearly. I do this every time I take the camper out of winter storage. There are many products and or home remedies that are used to clean the water system and its holding tanks. I would do a search on this site looking for water tank cleaning. Or you can purchase a product called Spring Fresh Water System cleaner from camping world and follow the directions on the bottle.

Jim W.

Thanks Jim but yes I knew about this. Just did it two weeks ago. Again I learned about this on this site.

I guess I was asking about other general maintenance. Maybe to the a/c heater. Guess I'm not really sure what else on the trailers need service. Tires, brakes, bearings and battery get checked every year or more often. I spray the slide with graphite and 303 the slide gaskets. All learned here.

Anything else??

Jerry

**JRTJH** · 05-13-2013, 06:33 AM

Check the rubber roof. Pay very close attention to all the DICOR sealant around every "hole" in the roof and especially along the drip moldings at the sides and front/back. If there's any question, clean the area, remove any "LOOSE" sealant and apply a generous coating of self leveling DICOR to flat surfaces and/or lap sealant (doesn't run) DICOR to vertical surfaces. Then check the windows, door seals, all the appliance mountings.

Make sure to double check the aluminum molding that runs along the lower edge of the RV, just above the "color change" from the skirting to the fiberglass walls.

Check and clean the appliance gas fittings, furnace vents and make sure the refrigerator drain hose is in good condition and routed outside the refrigerator outside panel.

There are bunches more, but these are the basic "keep it healthy" parts.

halfprice · 05-13-2013, 06:48 AM

I cleaned and checked the roof two weeks ago. All good up there. Fridge drain hose is good. Replaced that last year and its still looks good.

So far so good. Thanks

Jerry

Comptech · 05-13-2013, 07:45 AM

Ok so I too just flushed out my water heater and these pieces came out... any idea what they are? the seem glass like and the edges seemed burnt

Festus2 · 05-13-2013, 08:02 AM

Comptech -

Now that you've flushed your tank, reinstalled the anode (if you have one), refilled the tank with water, have you tested it out using both electric and propane? I'd be interested knowing if the tank still heats the water on electric. The reason why I am asking is that these pieces MAY BE fragments of your electric water heater element. It's also hard to tell the size of them from the photos.

Comptech · 05-13-2013, 01:49 PM

Ok let me check to see if the electric part works...
Is the inside of the tank coated with any sort of coating? Also if the element is burnt out can it be replaced?

CUFFS054 · 05-13-2013, 05:05 PM

yep, element can be replaced.

Comptech · 05-14-2013, 03:47 AM

So the electric heating work very good, had the water heater on gas, shut that off, turned on the electric and about a hour later checked the hot water. It was hotter then when i had it on gas... I am going to see if I can take some better pictures of the pieces I found...

**JRTJH** · 05-14-2013, 05:59 AM

The tank is "glass lined" meaning there's a coating on the inside of the tank that's similar to the old "blue granite" coating on stamped steel cookware. In the owner's manual for Suburban HWH's there is a statement that sludge and minerals settling in the bottom of the tank will insulate the bottom of the tank and cause it to overheat. Overheating will damage the glass lining (crack it) and what you've found are probably bits of the glass lining from the tank. I'd watch closely for leaks around the HWH. If you have a borescope, or a small computer camera, you may be able to insert it into the anode fitting and inspect your tank, otherwise, just keep an eye on it. Replacement tanks are available, but unless you're "quite handy" it's probalby easier and likely to be cheaper to just buy a replacement hot water heater.

If you're interested in getting a "borescope" there's one available at Harbor Freight for about $75 or you can get a "pencil computer camera" like the on in this link. http://www.ebay.com/itm/7mm-Inspecti...item4ac0b0deee

Keep in mind that the EBay borescope is connected by a very flexible cable and is difficult (not impossible) to manipulate once it's inserted in the anode fitting. Inspecting the inside of the tank is not mandatory, but I'd almost bet you've got a cracked glass lining.

Comptech · 05-14-2013, 06:58 AM

Jrtjh,
Thank you, that is what I thought it was. So Now that I have an extended warranty on the 5er I need to call and see what my options are.
I really do not know how this happened either. I never ran the unit dry, and I only used the gas mostly....

Festus2 · 05-14-2013, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Comptech

So the electric heating work very good, had the water heater on gas, shut that off, turned on the electric and about a hour later checked the hot water. It was hotter then when i had it on gas... I am going to see if I can take some better pictures of the pieces I found...

So-- is your tank working again? Can you see any evidence of leaking around the tank or from underneath?

If it is functioning properly again, not sure why you are looking at extended warranty coverage?

Hopefully, it is working and you won't need to get a new one.

Comptech · 05-14-2013, 03:53 PM

I called the MFG and they said it is most likely the lining cracked. It is still under the MFG 2 year warranty. They directed me to a local RV warranty repair shop not too far away. I sent them the pics of the pieces I found, so I still need to follow up with them. My problem is that we leave for Pigeon Forge on Saturday and then the RV will stay at the lake for the rest of the season. I wish they was a way to get the water heater and install it myself, I have done one before. they are not that hard...

FYI, there is no leaking and it does seem to work very well... so maybe I caught it before it got too bad. Thanks to this awesome forum, I would have never tried to wash out the water heater tank without reading it here.

Charli · 06-06-2013, 07:32 PM

Interesting thread. I just finished dewinterizing my unit. I had taken the anode rod out in the fall and left it out for the winter. Before screwing it back in I cleaned the threads off. Lots of sediment and left over Teflon tape. When I went to screw it in I noticed lots of sediment on the threads inside the tank. Tried to clean it but difficult to get at. After screwing it in as far as I could there were lots of threads showing and was concerned the sediment was the problem. After reading this thread I now know that this isn't a problem and it doesn't appear to be leaking.

alien_scones · 06-09-2013, 03:25 PM

This anode is from 1 year of use. (around 40 nights of camping)

Also, there was a lot of sediment in the tank... crazy amount - So much I'm surprised it has not clogged up other fixtures in the camper.

**JRTJH** · 10-20-2013, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Comptech

I called the MFG and they said it is most likely the lining cracked. It is still under the MFG 2 year warranty. They directed me to a local RV warranty repair shop not too far away. I sent them the pics of the pieces I found, so I still need to follow up with them. My problem is that we leave for Pigeon Forge on Saturday and then the RV will stay at the lake for the rest of the season. I wish they was a way to get the water heater and install it myself, I have done one before. they are not that hard...

FYI, there is no leaking and it does seem to work very well... so maybe I caught it before it got too bad. Thanks to this awesome forum, I would have never tried to wash out the water heater tank without reading it here.

What ever happened with your hot water heater and talking with the repair shop? Have you got any "final word" on the situation yet?

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