Attwood water heater drain plugged

Note that although there are after market anode rods for Atwood heaters, Atwood says they are unnecessary and should not be used.

dfeyre wrote:
Thanks for all of the tips on how to repair this. I managed to drill it out, started with a small bit and driilled most of the center wire, then went bigger and bigger till there was only a small amount left. Was able to pull it out Borrowed a 1/2" NPT tap from the plumber and fixed the threads. Tank had not been cleaned for a long time, flushed about 5 lb of******out of it.

Like wa8yxm said above, contact Atwood about your water heater to see if yours actually requires an anode rod. Hopefully you can be standing at the water heater when you call them. 'Always helps. If you don't need the anode rod then buy a bag of nylon plugs for the cleanout (generally you don't reuse the nylon plugs. they get stripped easily. when you remove one, replace it with a new one)

IF this is in your 2003 model and is indeed an Atwood water heater it does NOT need an anode.

Just because items are available in the aftermarket doesn't always mean they are needed or good ideas!

The small drain hole (1/2" for Atwood) and an aluminum rod (collects deposits) make it difficult under good conditions to remove.

Now that you have it out..........give the inside of tank a good cleaning using a vinegar soak
Pour 4 gallons of white vinegar into tank via PRV
Turn water heater ON
Let it cycle thru 4 heating cycles
Then drain rinse flush repeatedly to get rid of the accumulated stuff on tank interior and electric element if so equipped.

This is the 2003 Monaco w/ 10 gal heater. The anode was put in before I bought the motorhome and it looks like the previous owner had this problem (among other things) and traded it off. I guess the dealer never tried to drain the heater either before they sold it to me. With previous RV's I usually drain the water heater quite often, especially after I return from AZ or any other area that has water of poor quality.