# Winterizing Hot Water Tank



## 4CdnCampers (Apr 3, 2009)

I am trying to empty our hot water tank on our 25rs outback trailer but am unable to undo the 1 1/16 plug at the bottom of the tank.
Do I use force (hammer)on my socket wrench to undo the plug or is there a trick to it?


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

4CdnCampers said:


> I am trying to empty our hot water tank on our 25rs outback trailer but am unable to undo the 1 1/16 plug at the bottom of the tank.
> Do I use force (hammer)on my socket wrench to undo the plug or is there a trick to it?


Is it the plastic plug or the metal one?


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## 4CdnCampers (Apr 3, 2009)

it is a metal plug and it looks rusted.
The trailer is less than a year old


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## dmbcfd (Sep 8, 2004)

Try letting the tank heat up first, either on gas or electric. Make sure the tank is full before turning on the heater. If you're successful, replace the plug with a plastic one, they're cheap and won't rust solid.

Steve


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

The tanks with the 1 1/16 plugs have anodes and you can not get those in plastic.

The only thing you need is a little cheater bar on your ratchet or maybe a impact driver if it is really stuck. A word of caution on the impact driver, when you use it you want the force to be applied to the anode plug so put a big nut in the socket so when you hit the impact driver the force hits the head of the plug and not drive the socket into the tank.


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Just put a 1/2 inch air impact on it. This is the safe way to remove it. using a cheater bar creates much stress around the fitting where its attached to the water tank. Yes one could rip the whole fitting out by using a cheater bar. The water tank is very thin. A air impact will give the short and quick bursts needed to remove the plug.

To further back this up. My front hub spindle/axle nuts on my dodge are torqued to like 200 ft lbs. I have to use a 4-5 foot cheater bar to break lose the rusted nut. I broke a 1/2 inch snap on ratchet in two by doing that.

I got mad and went and got my snap on air impact. Its one of those that is considered a gorrila impact gun.

One little burst from that impact gun takes the nut off like its nothing.

I resently bought am older KZ new horizons 35 foot 5er. The water tank plug is steel and it came from south texas, so its been years since it was drained I bet. It was rusted beyond belief. I tried my 1/2 inch racthet and I could see that the water tank was flexing bad. I went and got my gorrilla gun and gave it a quick burst. the plug was out of there in a flash!

Then I found that the water tank had a lot of white scale in it. I then flushed out the tank and now it looks like new inside.

Ready for a colorado winter I am.

Carey


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

Leave the anode/plug out during the winter. Then next spring, clean up both sets of threads and use teflon tape when re-installing. That will help prevent this problem next fall.

Also - flush out your tank really well this fall. The anode is there to be a sacrificial piece, so it corrodes by design. The water heater in my Coleman popup would accumulate quite a bit of gunk in the bottom of the tank by the end of each camping season. So it's best to flush it out before it hardens.

Just my $.02.

Mike


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## sydmeg1012 (Nov 10, 2008)

What's the flushing procedure, just shut the bypass off and stick a hose in the plug hole?


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

sydmeg1012 said:


> What's the flushing procedure, just shut the bypass off and stick a hose in the plug hole?


I don't know how your HW heater is configured, but I made a flushing wand from a few connections and a short piece of PEX tubing that I could hook to the end of a garden hose and then insert into the drain hole. I also used a bent coat hanger to drag out stuff that didn't want to flush easily. I'm not sure you'd need to bypass, but it couldn't hurt anything.

Our Coleman popup was a 2000 model and I had to disconnect the hot and cold lines from the HW heater and then connect the lines to a bypass tube that had fittings on either end to match the water lines. So when we got our Outback and were shown the bypass "valve," I thought, "Sa-weet! Love these modern conveniences!"

It's not too hard to do - but have patience. It's worth the time spent.

Mike


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## sydmeg1012 (Nov 10, 2008)

Scoutr2 said:


> What's the flushing procedure, just shut the bypass off and stick a hose in the plug hole?


I don't know how your HW heater is configured, but I made a flushing wand from a few connections and a short piece of PEX tubing that I could hook to the end of a garden hose and then insert into the drain hole. I also used a bent coat hanger to drag out stuff that didn't want to flush easily. I'm not sure you'd need to bypass, but it couldn't hurt anything.

Our Coleman popup was a 2000 model and I had to disconnect the hot and cold lines from the HW heater and then connect the lines to a bypass tube that had fittings on either end to match the water lines. So when we got our Outback and were shown the bypass "valve," I thought, "Sa-weet! Love these modern conveniences!"

It's not too hard to do - but have patience. It's worth the time spent.

Mike
[/quote]

Sounds like I could just use a tank flushing wand, assuming it fits in the drain hole...thanks for the advice.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

sydmeg1012 said:


> Sounds like I could just use a tank flushing wand, assuming it fits in the drain hole...thanks for the advice.


Please use a NEW one.


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## muttbike (Apr 27, 2009)

I had to use a breaker bar and everything went ok. But I took a piece of 3/8th inch silicon tubing and stuck in on the end of the shopvac hose and sucked all the residue out of the bottom of the tank that way.

JR


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## 4CdnCampers (Apr 3, 2009)

From the discussions it seems that I have to use some force to get the plug to loosen off.
I have to bring the trailer to the dealer this week and will ask them to undo the plug for me this time.


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

Nathan said:


> Sounds like I could just use a tank flushing wand, assuming it fits in the drain hole...thanks for the advice.


Please use a NEW one.








[/quote]

I was thinking the same thing!

Mike


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## sydmeg1012 (Nov 10, 2008)

Nathan said:


> Sounds like I could just use a tank flushing wand, assuming it fits in the drain hole...thanks for the advice.


Please use a NEW one.








[/quote]

That goes without saying!


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## bill_pfaff (Mar 11, 2005)

Scoutr2 said:


> Sounds like I could just use a tank flushing wand, assuming it fits in the drain hole...thanks for the advice.


Please use a NEW one.








[/quote]

I was thinking the same thing!

Mike
[/quote]

I agree. I think this thread jinxed me. I'm up here in Lancaster @ Spring Gulch and my WH took a nose dive on me. I can kind of get it to work on gas but the electric doesn't work at all (yep the breaker is fine).

What the heck, I'm still not at work so all is well!


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