Water Heater flushing - Page 2 - Escape Trailer Owners Community
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Escape Trailer Owners Community > Escape Me | General Topics > General Escape
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 02-08-2015, 10:54 PM   #21
Senior Member
 
gbaglo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
Yup. Depends where you live and camp and if you have soft or hard water.
CLR does a lot of advertising here to people who don't need, but buy the product.
I especially love their product that instructs you to flush it down the toilet to protect your septic system. Could save a trip to the store and just flush the money.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
gbaglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2015, 12:34 AM   #22
Senior Member
 
Ron in BC's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: North Van., British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19, sold; 2019 Escape 21, Sept. 2019
Posts: 8,744
Quote:
Originally Posted by rbryan4 View Post
You can rest safe in the knowledge that Vancouver has GOOD water then Glenn.
You can bet that we know how lucky we are to have water from nearby mountains and from off limits closed areas. I've always used tap water for my batteries.

When I first lived in S. F. as a young lad I was shocked that people didn't drink the tap water.

Ron
Ron in BC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2015, 12:44 AM   #23
Senior Member
 
gbaglo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
Don't tell them we use tap water for the batteries. You'll freak them out.
Got the tap water advice from my mechanic when I couldn't find distilled water anywhere.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
gbaglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2015, 12:48 AM   #24
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaglo View Post
You know. Like a kayak is a canoe, but a canoe may not be a kayak.
Very naughty.... but yes, like that.
Brian B-P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2015, 12:50 AM   #25
Senior Member
 
gbaglo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
Who, me?
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
gbaglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2015, 12:51 AM   #26
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaglo View Post
Yup. Depends where you live and camp and if you have soft or hard water.
CLR does a lot of advertising here to people who don't need, but buy the product.
I especially love their product that instructs you to flush it down the toilet to protect your septic system. Could save a trip to the store and just flush the money.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaglo View Post
Don't tell them we use tap water for the batteries. You'll freak them out.
Got the tap water advice from my mechanic when I couldn't find distilled water anywhere.
If your tap water is so low in mineral content that you can safely use it in a battery, I don't suppose you would have much use for CLR. If you need acid to descale your water heater, you have minerals in your water, and CLR can be useful. I buy it (or an equivalent) by the 4-litre jug.

No, I wouldn't pour it down the drain for the sake of the septic system, either.
Brian B-P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2015, 02:58 AM   #27
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Olympia wa, Washington
Trailer: 5.0TA 2017
Posts: 2,255
Why do you need to clean a water heater? I have never clean the water heater in my home.
Fox hunt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2015, 05:23 AM   #28
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Southwick, Massachusetts
Trailer: None, sold my 2014 5.0TA
Posts: 7,124
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox hunt View Post
Why do you need to clean a water heater? I have never clean the water heater in my home.
I haven't either, but I've been told you are supposed to, on both counts.
__________________
Happy Motoring
Bob
padlin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2015, 06:48 AM   #29
Site Team
 
Donna D.'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Portland, Oregon
Trailer: 2014 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 11,023
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox hunt View Post
Why do you need to clean a water heater? I have never clean the water heater in my home.
Built differently and probably has a glass liner where the trailer's water heater is metal.
__________________
Donna D.
Ten Forward
2014 Escape 5.0TA
Donna D. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2015, 09:22 AM   #30
Site Team
 
rbryan4's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Canyon Lake, Texas
Trailer: 2015 19 "Past Tents", 2021 F150 Lariat 2.7L EB
Posts: 10,222
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox hunt View Post
Why do you need to clean a water heater? I have never clean the water heater in my home.
I haven't either, but that doesn't mean it isn't recommended. I remember a couple years ago I had to replace my home water heater and had a real struggle removing the old one - couldn't drain all the water from the lower drain plug. That was because there was so much scale in the bottom of the tank that it completely clogged the drain. The layer of scale (almost a FOOT thick) was also the reason it wouldn't heat water anymore. I added a softener system at the same time as the heater, so only demineralized water has ever been in the tank. I suspect it will last longer than the old one, which gave out at the 10 year mark.
__________________
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy an RV. And that is pretty close."
rbryan4 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2015, 11:46 AM   #31
Senior Member
 
gbaglo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
My understanding is that your home water heater also has an anode and that it should be inspected and replaced as required. Not that I have ever done that.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
gbaglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2015, 11:57 AM   #32
Senior Member
 
cpaharley2008's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
In addition it should also be drained yearly to eliminate debris that settles at the bottom. Have not done that in 9 years. Interesting how we tend to maintain our trailers better than our home appliances??
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
cpaharley2008 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2015, 12:05 PM   #33
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Delta, British Columbia
Trailer: 2015 5.0TA
Posts: 271
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaglo View Post
I'm still using the original anode that came with the trailer and at the rate it's going, I don't expect to have to replace it any time soon. But, we have soft water here.
The anode that came with our trailer lasted two years. Corroded right at the nut and actually separated from the nut. Luckily I got it out fairly easily. At the rate the replacement anode is eroding it will last the life of the trailer. Does the anode nut require good contact with the tank to work properly. When I reinstalled the replacement anode I used plenty of Teflon tape.
GerriJ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2015, 12:06 PM   #34
Senior Member
 
gbaglo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
My home water heater is gas fired. When the furnace guy was here to service the furnace, he told me I should vacuum under the water heater where there are vents that can get clogged up and cause an expensive service call.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
gbaglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2015, 12:09 PM   #35
Senior Member
 
gbaglo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
Quote:
Originally Posted by GerriJ View Post
Does the anode nut require good contact with the tank to work properly. When I reinstalled the replacement anode I used plenty of Teflon tape.
The anode nut just holds the rod and the rod holds the sacrificial metal. Nut just has to be secure and you only want to use a couple wraps of the tape.
Attached Thumbnails
Good anode bad anode.png  
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
gbaglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2015, 12:12 PM   #36
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Delta, British Columbia
Trailer: 2015 5.0TA
Posts: 271
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
If your tap water is so low in mineral content that you can safely use it in a battery, I don't suppose you would have much use for CLR. If you need acid to descale your water heater, you have minerals in your water, and CLR can be useful. I buy it (or an equivalent) by the 4-litre jug.

No, I wouldn't pour it down the drain for the sake of the septic system, either.
Brian, a little off topic but where do you get 4 litre jugs of CLR equivalent. I use CLR a lot for derusting old car parts as part of my hobby. A 50/50 mix of CLR and water will take the rust off of almost anything over night.
Mark
GerriJ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2015, 12:12 PM   #37
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Kelowna, British Columbia
Trailer: 2008 Escape 17b
Posts: 1,868
A lot of today's electric, home hot water heaters are glass lined with the incoming (fresh water) water entering at the bottom of the tank eliminating the need for both an anode or yearly draining.
Something to remember though is; If you bought a 10 year tank and it bursts on the 11th year your insurance may not cover water damage. Replacing overdue hot water heaters in one's home is often considered maintenance. Best to check your policy.
J Mac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2015, 12:17 PM   #38
Senior Member
 
Ron in BC's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: North Van., British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19, sold; 2019 Escape 21, Sept. 2019
Posts: 8,744
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
In addition it should also be drained yearly to eliminate debris that settles at the bottom. Have not done that in 9 years. Interesting how we tend to maintain our trailers better than our home appliances??
No doubt that stems from hot water tanks used to last at least a dozen years (in this part of the woods) and cost just over a couple of hundred bucks. Now they're selling tanks with a 6 year warranty for over twice as much as they were only a few years ago. So maybe some folks will start paying a little more attention to the tank before they say "what's that water on the floor from"

An old garden watering wand with the spray head cut off works well too. If you're going to check the anode it only makes sense to give it a quick flush.

Ron
Ron in BC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2015, 01:18 PM   #39
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
Quote:
Originally Posted by GerriJ View Post
Brian, a little off topic but where do you get 4 litre jugs of CLR equivalent.
Home Depot: Zep Calcium, Lime & Rust Remover 3.78L
Seems to be effectively the same thing as the original CLR.
Brian B-P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2015, 01:25 PM   #40
Senior Member
 
Ron in BC's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: North Van., British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19, sold; 2019 Escape 21, Sept. 2019
Posts: 8,744
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaglo View Post
My understanding is that your home water heater also has an anode and that it should be inspected and replaced as required. Not that I have ever done that.
Probably just as well. A friend said that he was thinking of doing that. Since I was replacing a couple of tanks and had previously removed the brass from tanks before I junked them, I said "hold on, let me do an experiment". I tried removing the anode with the tank vertical, just as if it was still installed. It was in so tight that I would have twisted off the piping connected to it. In the end it took a 3' bar and the tank on its' side before I could break the anode free. There wasn't any anode left but the tank was over 20 years old, hadn't leaked and I was just upgrading before there was a problem. Maybe heat would have helped but I don't think I'll try that on a tank still in use if it's been in place for years and years.

Ron
Ron in BC is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Escape Trailer Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:23 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2023 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.