Water Heater Plug Has Guck On It

[larryanta]

Two questions from a first-time winterizer, Jayco 232RB TT.


1. What is all this stuff in the plastic cap of my water heater? See picture. I can see more of it inside the water heater too. Is it calcium? Something I should clean up? Thanks.


2. When I removed the cap from my water heater, absolutely no water came out, even with the TPT valve open. This surprised me but I had previously done a complete drain of my hot and cold low point drains with all faucets open and the water heater NOT in bypass mode yet. I expected there still to be water in the heater though.


Thanks for your insights folks.


Larry

[sirrealone]

Originally Posted by larryanta

Two questions from a first-time winterizer, Jayco 232RB TT.


1. What is all this stuff in the plastic cap of my water heater? See picture. I can see more of it inside the water heater too. Is it calcium? Something I should clean up? Thanks.


2. When I removed the cap from my water heater, absolutely no water came out, even with the TPT valve open. This surprised me but I had previously done a complete drain of my hot and cold low point drains with all faucets open and the water heater NOT in bypass mode yet. I expected there still to be water in the heater though.


Thanks for your insights folks.


Larry

The low point drains are lower than your water heater, so if you drained it before you switched the bypass valves then it would surely drain.

As far as the gunk, did you apply teflon tape to the threads?

[larryanta]

Originally Posted by sirrealone

The low point drains are lower than your water heater, so if you drained it before you switched the bypass valves then it would surely drain.

As far as the gunk, did you apply teflon tape to the threads?

Okay, sounds like I'm on the right track then. All the YouTube videos I watched showed water gushing out of the heater when its reservoir cap was removed (especially with the TPT valve open). I guess all the water's out of heater now.


For the gunk, no I didn't apply teflon tape to the threads. Maybe what I'm looking at is some kind of plumber's putty. Just surprised to see so much of it.


I think I'll clean it up and use teflon tape.

[wags999]

You should flush your water heater at least once a year. Sediment and calcium can build up over time making your heater less efficient. They make a flush nozzle that you stick in the drain plug opening and you can flush the tank. That could be just sediment on the plug, sand, mud etc. You will be surprised how much "gunk" you will flush out.

Good Luck.

PS, you should flush your home (stick and brick) water heater also. Same reason.

[Scott_Trailer_Newbe]

That was pipe selant compound. You can either use Teflon tape or pipe sealant. Pipe sealant is preferred when connecting plastic to steel.

[Merrick]

I was going to say, my plug had the same gunk on it after the first time I opened it. I assumed it was some type of putty put on at dealer, instead of Teflon tape.

[larryanta]

Originally Posted by Scott_Trailer_Newbe

That was pipe selant compound. You can either use Teflon tape or pipe sealant. Pipe sealant is preferred when connecting plastic to steel.

Ahh. Thanks. I'll get rid of the excess and reapply as needed.

[Jagiven]

Looks a bit like pipe dope.

[Atlee]

Should either plumbers putty or teflon tape be needed with an Atwood water heater? That's a nylon plug screwing into an aluminum tank.

As long as the nylon plug hasn't been cross threaded, shouldn't it seat snug enough to not allow leakage?

[damammel]

Originally Posted by wags999

You should flush your water heater at least once a year. Sediment and calcium can build up over time making your heater less efficient. They make a flush nozzle that you stick in the drain plug opening and you can flush the tank. That could be just sediment on the plug, sand, mud etc. You will be surprised how much "gunk" you will flush out.

X2 I flush it out at the end of the year and before I put the plug back in at the beginning of the season.