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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / RVs / July 2007Question about hot water tank
at what point should a hot water tank be emptied? we travel with the trailer every few weeks, and heat the water each time. should we drain the tank after every trip to prevent rusting, as well as preventing the water from going bad? seems like we should based on the above two cited benefits, but not having received a manual with the camper, we don't know if it's required/suggested. the camper is a 1999 Starcraft 26SK; again, because we don't have a manual, we don't know the tank capacity either. thanx for your answers. >at what point should a hot water tank be emptied? >should we drain the tank after every trip to prevent rusting, as well as >preventing the water from going bad? Rust? Nope. I drive a Class B that always has water in the water heater. I think I may have drained it once, about 5 years ago when I did a New Year's trip to Minnesota and didn't want it to freeze solid. My water -- which is well water from my own property -- doesn't "go bad." But I add a tiny bit of bleach to the fresh water tank (a half teaspoon per ten gallons, maybe? I don't measure it) along with the water when I top it off. This seems to be enough to keep the tiny critters from growing in it. If it were treated city water, I wouldn't need to put anything else in it. I don't drink the water that comes from my RV plumbing (actually, I don't drink water, period -- I carry a jug of drinking water in the refrigerator for my wife). But I would drink it if I needed to, and I wouldn't worry about it. It always smells clean, with only the very slightest whiff of chlorine -- not enough to notice unless I'm thinking about it. Your water tank is probably 6.5 gallons. That's pretty much the standard size, except for the ones in larger RVs and/or those intended for full-timing. GB in NC >>at what point should a hot water tank be emptied? > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > GB in NC we always fill from a decent municipal system, so we drink right from the tap. thank you for the advice. >we always fill from a decent municipal system, so we drink right from >the tap. No problem with that. But if I were going to drink from mine on a regular basis, I might flush the tank and the plumbing from time to time, just in case. I don't, which is why I quit doing that years ago. Just the way I am. Others' opinions, I'm sure, will differ. >thank you for the advice. You're welcome. GB in NC > at what point should a hot water tank be emptied? > [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > thanx for your answers. Fill it in the spring when you un-winterize, empty it in the fall when you winterize. How often do yo fill and drain your water heater at home?  SignatureFrank Tabor You are confused; but this is your normal state. > Fill it in the spring when you un-winterize, empty it in the fall when > you winterize. That maybe true for those unlucky RV'ers who put their trailer away for the winter. I live in AZ where we use our trailer year round. Deserts in the winter, Mountains in the summer. Two climates only a couple hours apart! >> Fill it in the spring when you un-winterize, empty it in the fall when >> you winterize. >That maybe true for those unlucky RV'ers who put their trailer away for >the winter. I live in AZ where we use our trailer year round. Deserts >in the winter, Mountains in the summer. Two climates only a couple >hours apart! I use my Class B year round too. I can't imagine not having it available whenever I want it. But even so, it lives in a climate-controlled garage, so it's always ready to go and doesn't need winterizing -- unless I decide to pull another of my crazy "Hey, let's drive to the frozen north in the middle of winter" trips. Then I'd have to winterize it *before* the trip, which is really weird. GB in NC >> at what point should a hot water tank be emptied? >> [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > How often do yo fill and drain your water heater at home? we have a tankless at home, so it's never emptied. I neglected to mention that we live in Rhode Island, and as such, we winterize around Oct/Nov, and un-winterize Apr/May. thank you for the advice. |
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