Winterizing tip.

westend wrote:
I avoid opening the pressure/temperature relief valve on any water heater. I have seen too many problems when they are again closed, displaced o-rings, bad seating, spring issues. Opening a hot water faucet valve accomplishes the same when draining.

Opening the valve flushes out any crud that could be building up. I have done this on all my RV's No different than opening a faucet.

rhagfo wrote:

westend wrote:
I avoid opening the pressure/temperature relief valve on any water heater. I have seen too many problems when they are again closed, displaced o-rings, bad seating, spring issues. Opening a hot water faucet valve accomplishes the same when draining.

Opening the valve flushes out any crud that could be building up. I have done this on all my RV's No different than opening a faucet.

Same here, many years of doing this with several rv's, I've never had an issue.

Just a reminder to be careful when you drain your water heater. I pasted my post from a thread titled, "I found my water leak". I have since sprayed a liberal amount of Flex Seal product in the water heater enclosure to help prevent future issues.


Perhaps you can learn from my mistake. I have.

I had some minor leaking in my camper…just around the flooring near the dinette. Due to slope, it drained across the entire floor and has caused some strange discoloration of my linoleum? I am now going to rip out the linoleum and plywood subfloor and replace it. Not a fun job.

In searching for the source of the leak, I discovered that the leak came in from the hot water heater enclosure. It seems that when I winterized the water heater in years past (some years multiple times due to winter usage), it leaked into the inside of the camper.

Typical RV gas water heater……I would pull the “pressure” relief valve and unscrew the anode rod to drain the water (in reverse order). It turns out that even with me being careful and at times fashioning a sort of water redirect contraption, just enough of the water would settle into the bottom of the metal surround of the water heater and leak back into the camper.

I am going to see if I can waterproof that tin surround or build some kind of “ramp/redirect” thing that can be used in the future. Do they make something for that purpose? Maybe I’ll have to try some of the flex seal junk….or do they make a better alternative?

Well, at least now all my roof seams have been covered in eternabond tape and resealed.

So, be careful when you drain your water heaters….

Huck