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Old 09-26-2012, 04:46 AM   #21
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For those who are considering using a low point drain to empty your water heater you are missing a important maintenance element. Sediment forms in the tank and needs to be flushed out. This is done by removing the nylon plug and using a water jet wand to flush this sediment out. If you drain the tank and leave the sediment it can form a cake that can be very difficult to remove later.

Take short cuts now and pay for them later.
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Old 09-26-2012, 09:50 AM   #22
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Originally Posted by mcfarmall View Post
Just remember brass and aluminum are not friendly to each other; throw heat into the mix and you're asking for trouble. That is why they put a nylon plug in there at the factory. I would recommend buying one or two plastic plugs and chuck 'em if the threads get buggered up and put a new one in.
This is an important point that is often overlooked. It helps to have a metallurgist amongest us. Thanks for the info.
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Old 10-08-2012, 03:12 PM   #23
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I just feel the water coming out, if its hot....well you know
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Old 10-10-2012, 08:32 AM   #24
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How often does one drain the hot water tank? After every trip? End of the season? I pull my low point drains and let everything drain after every trip. At the end of this year it looks like a good investment in the hot water tank rinser from camping world for $6. I will probably pull the plug and rinse when I winterize.
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Old 10-10-2012, 08:38 AM   #25
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How often does one drain the hot water tank? After every trip? End of the season? I pull my low point drains and let everything drain after every trip. At the end of this year it looks like a good investment in the hot water tank rinser from camping world for $6. I will probably pull the plug and rinse when I winterize.
I only do this at the end of the season.
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Old 07-27-2014, 04:54 PM   #26
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Remove drain plug

Before our last trip I went to drain the hot water tank on my Jayco. I unscrewed the nylon plug with a ratchet and the plug and socket shot into the block wall at a hundred miles an hour! Glad I wasn't standing in front of it! Obviously I needed to release the pressure inside first, can anyone tell me how?
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Old 07-27-2014, 05:29 PM   #27
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Open the fawcetts or if there is a pressure releif valve on water heater its self
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Old 07-27-2014, 05:48 PM   #28
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Easiest way is to just open the faucets in the camper. I drain my hot water tank by opening the low point drains under my lower bunk. I don't mess with that drain plug anymore.
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Old 07-27-2014, 07:23 PM   #29
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my mod

I bought a nylon nipple (maybe censored) that would thread into tank and put a household flexible bathroom hose on it, about 18", then a quarter turn shutoff. Now I can just release the pressure and point the hose down and drain the tank. I'm always amazed at how brown it first is after a trip.
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Old 07-27-2014, 09:32 PM   #30
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Keep in mind that the plastic drain plug in the aluminum tank are also designed to collect residue from the inside of the tank. When I reuse my plastic drain plug I first have to clean out the inside cavity of the plug before re-installing.

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Old 07-28-2014, 06:57 AM   #31
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drain plug

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Originally Posted by JAMMFAM View Post
Mine has a low point drain on the bottom of the camper for the hot water also, so luckily I don't have to mess with the plug.
Unless I am mistaken, most hot water heaters I have seen feed from the top of the tank. When you are using low point drains, you are draining water in the lines, not from the hot water tank. If you are using this method to drain water for winterizing, you could be setting yourself up for a problem. You may be leaving the hot water heater full of water. But I have been wrong once or maybe twice before!

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Old 07-28-2014, 09:18 AM   #32
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Unless I am mistaken, most hot water heaters I have seen feed from the top of the tank. When you are using low point drains, you are draining water in the lines, not from the hot water tank. If you are using this method to drain water for winterizing, you could be setting yourself up for a problem. You may be leaving the hot water heater full of water. But I have been wrong once or maybe twice before!




I suspect you are correct. I never heard of a rig having a low point drain on the water heater. On the hot water lines yes. Remove the plug and open a hw faucet to drain the heater.
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Old 07-28-2014, 12:03 PM   #33
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Have to say, my greyhawk has low point drains on both hot and cold. and yes i use them for winter prep. also use the by-pass for the water heater - no problems yet. Adn i release pressure by opening the kitchen faucet.
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Old 05-01-2018, 05:23 AM   #34
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Just for info, I winterized my buddy's rig by pulling the nylon plug. All was well. I told him when I un-winterized it that I would make one of those handy dandy flexible hoses with a valve on the end to make it easier next time.

I went over yesterday to do that and WHOA!, I found 2 low point drains right under the frame on his TT. I opened them and the water heater drained itself.

I think one was the bottom and the other was to vent the top. Not positive about that but it emptied itself.

His rig is a 2015 28RBDS.

Also, even though I drained and filled the system with antifreeze, the outside shower froze and cracked. I replaced it yesterday. $24. from Amazon.
15 minute job.
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Old 05-01-2018, 06:09 AM   #35
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Our little TT has hot & cold low point drains on each side of the trailer (total of two hot and two cold).

As for the WH drain, I purchased a Nylon threaded nipple to avoid any galvanic corrosion. Used a S.S. braided hose and a full port ball valve, makes life a lot easier for me.





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Old 05-01-2018, 06:41 AM   #36
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Our little TT has hot & cold low point drains on each side of the trailer (total of two hot and two cold).....snip
I haven't run across that kind of a set-up before.

My 24RBS has two low point drains, one for the hot (red PEX) and the other for the cold (blue PEX)......, along with two additional low point drains one for each of the 40gal fresh water tanks.

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Old 05-01-2018, 11:56 AM   #37
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Originally Posted by 01tundra View Post
Our little TT has hot & cold low point drains on each side of the trailer (total of two hot and two cold).

As for the WH drain, I purchased a Nylon threaded nipple to avoid any galvanic corrosion. Used a S.S. braided hose and a full port ball valve, makes life a lot easier for me.






Nice job there tundra....... Looks good!
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Old 05-01-2018, 12:09 PM   #38
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I use a basin wrench to pull the nylon plug, I like to not only drain the tank but to flush it out really well. Amazing all the gunk you get in there, hard water scale, calcium build up etc. Have used the original plug for last three years. Basin wrench makes it pretty easy to remove/replace.

Happy Camping time ! May 1st..
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Old 05-01-2018, 02:06 PM   #39
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I blow out my lines and use a socket to remove the drain plug. Rather than have to remember what size it is I just leave one sitting inside the htr access panel.
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