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Old 06-29-2007, 02:35 PM   #1
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Does anyone drain their hot water tank between uses? After a month or so of storage we get a pretty strong sulfur smell during initial usage of hot water. It eventually goes away but I've considered draining the tank between uses. Do any of you do so? My 7/8 socket appears to fit the plastic drain plug. Do you concur with that size?
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Old 06-29-2007, 02:35 PM   #2
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Does anyone drain their hot water tank between uses? After a month or so of storage we get a pretty strong sulfur smell during initial usage of hot water. It eventually goes away but I've considered draining the tank between uses. Do any of you do so? My 7/8 socket appears to fit the plastic drain plug. Do you concur with that size?
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Old 06-29-2007, 02:56 PM   #3
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i drain my hot water tank every year prior to using it. my surban waterheater is drained by removing the anode rod. it is metal and takes a very large socket to remove. while the rod is out i turn on the water so i can flush out the crud that accumulates in the bottom of the tank. a baby bottle brush helps to remove the crud.
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Old 06-29-2007, 03:56 PM   #4
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If I know I will not be using the rig for over a month, I will drain the hot water heater. While drained, I do flush it out and clean the crud out each time.
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Old 06-29-2007, 05:06 PM   #5
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Hello, I do the same as Dave. If mine sits full over a month it starts to smell of sulfer too. I installed a valve in place of the plastic plug, so all I have to is open the valve and the pressure relief valve to drain most of the water after a trip easily.
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Old 06-30-2007, 01:42 AM   #6
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I drain my water heater after every trip out in the coach. It is so simple to do and the thought of the crap in most water sources laying in there incubating, motivates me. I also flush the tank.
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Old 06-30-2007, 03:15 AM   #7
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Paul,
Remove the pressure relief valve entirely. Pour an entire gallon of vinegar in there and let it sit as long as you like. Before your next trip, drain the tank, refill with water. One more flush of the tank and you're good to go. There is just enough acid in the vinegar to help disolve some of the calcified particulates and freshen the system. OK, so you get a bit of a vinegar smell for a short time but that smells a lot better than rotten eggs.

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Old 06-30-2007, 05:19 AM   #8
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Dmadzia -- Do you recall what size thread that valve of you are using has?
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Old 06-30-2007, 05:57 AM   #9
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Paul, my Adventurer uses a 1/2" valve. Most water heaters are this size. Almost every RV parts place will have this in stock. Here is a picture of it on the bottom of the page from the link below.
http://www.go-rv.com/coast/do/catalo...56&pageNum=282
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Old 06-30-2007, 07:51 AM   #10
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All the above solutions sound solid to me. The only other thought I have is if you have an anode rod it could be causing the smell. If you do, try removing it for a while and see if the smell goes away. When I lived in Wisconsin a plumer told me they removed the anode rods when installing a water heater due to reaction with the water. I never drain my tank til the end of the season and havn't had a problem yet (fingers crossed).
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Old 06-30-2007, 08:54 AM   #11
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Yep, there ok valves to use, but you have the same problem of all the water draining on your water heater and going all over the place. I used a standard 1/2" ball valve with a short handle and drilled a hole in the bottom of the compartment floor and piped it through the floor so the water drains on the ground. I also drain it after every trip. No smell here.
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Old 07-01-2007, 04:58 PM   #12
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We have that problem at home with our water heater. I guess that it could happen in the motorhome too. If you have been where the water is heavy with lime (hard water) then that can cause that to happen to.
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Old 07-05-2007, 05:33 PM   #13
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We've had our 97 Dutchstar four yrs. now and last year this smell started in and it's worse this year. I've rinsed it out, replaced the anode rod three times, and now I've gone to draining after each trip. Last week I drained and put in a half cup of bleach and filled it till we go again and then I'll drain it a couple times. I suctioned several bulbs of water below the 3/4 drain plug before putting the bleach/clorox. I've also placed a thin spout on the hose full blast and you won't believe what comes out of there. I plan to continue using the anode rod as it really seems to absorb/attach some crap that I simply wipe off now each time I drain. We'll see what happens.
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Old 07-06-2007, 03:39 AM   #14
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Tony: I generally, at least once a year, pour a couple of gallons of "White Vinegar", into my HWH. Let it set for a couple of days then flush it out. This freshens the tank and gets rid of a lot of calcium and iron build up. I take out the pop off valve to pour the vinegar in. No need to heat the water, just leave it set and rinse.
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