Hot water heater... Drain after every trip?

Whenever you drain the water heater tank you're also de-pressurizing the system so obviously the next time you want to use it you have to go through the annoying routine of re-pressurizing. I long ago decided I wasn't going to do this so I fill and pressurize the trailer's water system at the beginning of the season and it remains that way until I winterize in the late fall. Another downside to draining that WH tank after each camping trip is the chances of damaging the tank threads are much more likely. Solution - just don't do it as there's no need. ;)

I drain mine once a year unless I need to do something to it. Never been a problem.

We camp often enough where we don't drain water heater and we don't drain FW tank either unless we happen to not go RVing for more than a month which is pretty rare during camping season.

Not at all concerned about carrying a few hundred pounds of water even when water is provided at the campground. Have run into poor water quality more than a few times over the years and difference in mpg is imperceptible.

I only drain mine at the end of the season. If you are worried about freeze damage, it would be a good idea to continue to drain it.

Are you opening the low point drains to the fresh water system? If so, and you open an inside faucet as well as the pressure relieve valve on the water heater, it will drain that way as well. Just takes longer.

I fill mine when I dewinterize in the spring and drain it when I winterize in the fall.

make sure you shut the electric heater element off before draining.

Open the hot water faucet before you loosen the plug -- otherwise pressurized water shoots out of the drain hole. Please don't ask me how I learned this.

And I almost never drain my heater. Probably should. Too lazy.

I drain my water heater after every trip. It also helps to flush out the lime build up that forms on the bottom of the tank.

There is no "clean" way to drain the tank. Pull the outside drain plug and just let it go! When it's pouring out, I usually give the inside of the cover a clean wipe and wipe around the inside of the compartment with the water. I drain at the end of every trip, even we we are planning on going out again in a few days. I keep a ratchet wrench with a socket that fit the plug exclusively for the drain plug. It never leaves the camper. Its only purpose is the plug. Pulling the plug is very easy, takes no time at all and lightens the weight of the trailer 6 gallons of water when towing. If moving from one campground to the next on an extended trip, I don't drain. Only on the last day, returning home.

I drain the Water Heater at the end of the season but we use the rig quite frequently during the summer and rarely let more than a couple of weeks go by without camping.