RV Water Heater Care and Maintenance

In this article we will cover the ins and outs of RV water heater maintenance so you can be sure your water heater continues to serve you well for years to come.

Everyone loves a good, hot shower, especially after a long day of travel or time spent outdoors. On top of that, being able to wash dishes in nice, warm, sudsy water is a wonderful thing to have when you’re in the middle of nowhere. Because of this, RV water heaters are not something we’d want to be without.

Of course, having a water heater in your rig means taking good care of it. This is especially true if you want to keep that heater around for any amount of time. Unfortunately, many RVers aren’t aware of the steps they should be taking to keep their RV water heaters in tip-top shape.

Checking the Vent

One of the easiest things you can do to take care of your water heater is to regularly check the outside vent. Dirt and debris can gather here, making it impossible for your heating system to get the air flow it needs. In the case of a propane heater, this can actually cause the heater to stop working entirely if the vent is too clogged.

If there is debris in the vent grate, simply brush it out using your hands or a washcloth.

Tank Flushing

At least once a year—and some people choose to do this every 6 months—you will need to flush out your hot water tank. This is a fairly simple process and helps prevent too much debris and buildup from gathering in your tank.

Begin by turning the water heater off and waiting until the water in the tank has cooled completely. This is a very important safety step, so do not skip it. You can see if the water has cooled completely by running the hot water side of any tap. As soon as that tap runs cool, you’ll know you’re ready to get started.

The next step is to turn off or unhook any city water connections.

With those things done, remove the plug or anode rod from your tank. Both should be fairly easy to locate and will need to be unscrewed from the tank. Many people like to use a socket, extension, and torque wrench to do this job, as both the rods and the plugs can be difficult to remove. If your tank uses a plastic plug, be sure to do this carefully, as these plugs can come apart.

As soon as the plug or anode rod is removed, all the water will drain from the tank, so be sure to wear shoes that can safely get wet and step back from the drain if you wish to stay dry. Once all the water has drained out, use a tool such as this flushing wand to spray water inside and ensure all debris is removed from the tank.

Related Read: Using Your RV Water Heater

Anode Rod or Drain Plug Replacement

Flushing your tank and replacing your anode rod or plug go hand in hand. After all, as long as you’re removing the plug or anode rod, you may as well put a new one in as you finish the job up.

Let’s start by pointing out that not all water heaters have anode rods. If you have a Suburban brand heater you likely have an anode rod. Atwood heaters usually use a plug instead.

The job of an anode rod is to protect the tank from rusting, and as long as it’s doing its job, it will become quite corroded itself. When you remove your anode rod, inspect it for corrosion. A rod that looks quite thin will need to be replaced. A rod with very little corrosion can be reused, but many RVers choose to replace their anode rod every time they flush their tank just to be safe.

As mentioned earlier, RV water heaters that don’t have anode rods have a simple plastic plug that holds water in the tank. These plugs are not the strongest things, and should never be reused. In fact, we recommend keeping a few extra plugs on hand in case you ever have one spring a leak.

Whether your tank uses a plastic plug or an anode rod, you will want to wrap some teflon tape around the threads before replacing it.

With the plug or rod replaced, be sure to fill the tank again before turning the water heater back on. Failing to do so can damage your electric heating element.

Propane System Care

With your tank flushed and replugged, and while you’re still looking at the heater, you’ll want to turn your attention to the propane system (if your heater has a propane option, that is). Take a look in the burner and clean out any debris that may have gathered there. Blow out the propane lines with canned air, and check for a good, solid blue flame when you turn the propane heat option on.

If the flame is flickering, weak, or yellow or orange in color, you might need to follow the instructions in this video.

Winterizing

Finally, we must discuss winterizing. A big part of winterizing your RV is making sure your water heater tank is completely empty in order to prevent damage from freezing. Luckily, this isn’t too difficult at all.

Related Read: Winterizing Your RV for Storage

To do this, simply turn your plumbing system’s water heater bypass valves to prevent water from entering the tank. Don’t have bypass valves installed? You can install them yourself by purchasing a kit such as this one.

Next, remove your tank plug or anode rod and let all the water drain out. You may want to use this opportunity to flush the tank and change out your plug or anode rod as well. When the water is completely drained out of the tank, your water heater is ready for winter. You can then put in a new plug or replace your anode rod and move to the next step of winterizing other parts of your rig.