Hot water tank drain plug

[morley]

Hi everyone, hope that all is well with each of you out there.
Due to some emergency brain surgery a month ago, our camping season sadly has come to an abrupt end.
We are in the process of cleaning out and winterizing the 5er for winter storage. While I was draining the hot water tank, I got to thinking there must be a better way than having to remove this hard to get at plastic plug ever year to drain the tank.
I thought that I had heard of some types of plugs with a flexible pipe on them and a valve at the end that can just be opened and the tank drained without removing the plastic plug.
Any one have or seen or know if such a thing exists?
Won’t need it this year. But years into the future if my health allows and we can continue RVing we would like to use this type of arrangement at seasons end.

[spoon059]

Bionic Man wrote:
Open the vent on the hot water heater and your low point water drains. The water will then drain from the heater. Or at least mine does.

Not sure why so many people want to reinvent the wheel. This is how I do it as well. Didn't cost me a penny.

Any sediment that might be in the tank would be flushed every few trips, as I drain the water heater every few trips. Also, when I drain my low points, I get several gallons of HOT water (steaming hot) that drains from by low point. That's more than what would just be in the line. Its clearly draining the majority of the water heater.

Been doing this for 11 years. Never had any issue with a split water heater tank.

[Gdetrailer]

bob213 wrote:

Bionic Man wrote:
Open the vent on the hot water heater and your low point water drains. The water will then drain from the heater. Or at least mine does.

Draining thru the low point drain is a good way to get all that sediment in the tank into your water lines. I would avoid that method.

Impossible to unless someone has misplumbed the tank and reversed the inlet for the outlet..



Cold water inlet is on the bottom of the tank.

Hot water outlet takes the hottest water from the top of the tank.

Low drain points will never be able to siphon enough water from the hot water tank to ever get any "solids" like sand, dirt, scale.

I would also caution anyone that attempts to only siphon without pulling the drain plug.. Since the hot water outlet is very high in the tank, it will not siphon enough water out of the tank for freeze protection as most RVs will have a check valve on the cold water inlet which is there to prevent hot water from being siphoned from the tank via the cold water inlet..

Be lazy at your own risk!

Takes only a couple of seconds to remove the plug in a Attwood using a socket and wrench. Don't be lazy and fool hardy, it may end up biting you in the behind the next camping season.

[bob213]

Bionic Man wrote:
Open the vent on the hot water heater and your low point water drains. The water will then drain from the heater. Or at least mine does.

Draining thru the low point drain is a good way to get all that sediment in the tank into your water lines. I would avoid that method.

[enblethen]

I would flush out the tank to remove debris in bottom of tank. Debris could be in the form of sand coming in through plumbing water system. Won't be much but can build up.

[Gdetrailer]

BluegrassBill wrote:
FYI, After draining there is still a couple of inches of water in the bottom of the tank. I use a small siphon hose to get as much out as I can. X2 on socket, Extension and ratchet.

Granted, there will be a small amount of water below the lip of the plug opening, but.. It isn't enough water there to warrant trying to figure out how to remove that water.

In a nutshell, the water level is sufficiently low enough that even if it freezes, the expansion of the ice is not confined and no harm will come of the tank.

It is all about giving the ice enough space to expand without causing damage.

When the ice is restricted and has no place to expand that is when damage happens.

Think of what happens when you freeze a water bottle. If you do not open the water bottle and remove a small amount of water before freezing the ice will expand enough to break through the weakest point of the bottle.

Now, if you open the bottle, remove as little as a 1/2" of water you can safely put the bottle in the freezer and freeze the water solid with no harm to the bottle.

[ronharmless]

I replaced my plastic drain plug with a plug made of the same material as the pressure relief valve at the top.

[enblethen]

I use a six inch extension. Makes it easier getting plug started. Don't put it in too tight!

[BluegrassBill]

FYI, After draining there is still a couple of inches of water in the bottom of the tank. I use a small siphon hose to get as much out as I can. X2 on socket, Extension and ratchet.

[Gdetrailer]

enblethen wrote:

Drain plugs are easy to get out with proper sized socket on an extension.

Eazy peazy with correct tool.







Granted, this works great on Attwoods, not sure about Suburbans.

The plug I have takes a 7/8" socket, I only have that in 1/2" wrench.

I use a shorty extension which almost enough to get outside of the water heater. It is just long enough to get ratchet on it.

Since I have that in 1/2" wrench, I do have to be very careful about not overtightening the plug.

For installing the plug, I hand start it to prevent cross threading, then use ratchet to lightly tighten.

I do not use any thread sealants or Teflon, those will change the torque characteristics and make it easy to over tighten and damage the plug.

I believe there is a purpose made tool you can buy for this which may be better than a 1/2" ratchet which would be less likely to strip the plug.

I kind of like the plug on the Attwood, I did have a Suburban which had a petcock valve. That valve was so difficult to get sealed and when it came time to drain, I was always scared that the top of the valve was going to break off. Had to use channel lock pliers to open and close the petcock valve.

[Dick_B]

Flush with something like a Tank Saver from CW or Camco Tank Rinser.

[valhalla360]

enblethen wrote:
Drain plugs are easy to get out with proper sized socket on an extension.

This.

If you are trying to fit a crescent wrench or some other makeshift tool, it's a hassle.

Get a proper sized socket and extension and it's easy.

One issue is valves don't like sit for months on end without use. They corrode, freeze up and gunk up.

[Bionic_Man]

Open the vent on the hot water heater and your low point water drains. The water will then drain from the heater. Or at least mine does.

[wa8yxm]

The problem is that tank is made of a metal that does not care for several other metals like brass.. I've used the proper PLASTIC tube to a metal quarter turn valve.. I did that twice. first one worked, 2nd one leaked.

[craig7h]

When I got my used coach the past owner replaced the nylon plug with a brass set up that included a petcock to drain the tank. The first chance I got I replaced it with the good old nylon plug. The reason I could not clean out the tank. At the end and beginning of each season I like to really flush out the tank to remove any debris.