I have a 10 gallon atwood water heater and decided I wanted to clean this out since suspected the former owner never did much. So got me all the stuff I needed including a anode rod they advised me to put in.When I opened the heater to flush it there was only a metal plug which looked like the anode was completely gone.There was a lot of stuff in there and checking the inners with an endoscope I found a a lot of calcium still on the pipes, so going to fill it with vinegar to get that cleaned.However my question is do you need that anode rod or not? I am reading it is not needed while other tel me it is needed or better advised to do soWhat are the pros and what are the cons

Attwood heaters are made of aluminum and don't use an anode. Suburban heaters require an anode because they are glass lined steel and subject to galvanic corrosion.

Here is a quote from the Atwood website. "Atwood water heater tanks are constructed of a high strength aluminum.The interior of the tank consists of a .0015 thickness of type 7072aluminum (pure aluminum and zinc) that is fused to the core during therolling process. This material protects the tanks from the effects of heavymetals and salts found in waters throughout the country. It is anodic tothese heavy metals and acts much like an anode in a steel glass linedtank except it will last much longer. Aftermarket Anode Rods are notrequired and should not be used and will void warranty."No anode rod needed.

They make an Anode rod for Atwood. NOT an Atwood part and NOT needed on an Atwood. You NEVER install a metal plug on an Atwood. You only use a Plastic plug. Metal plugs will seize to the aluminum threads. Doug

Just cause 'THEY' advised you should use one.....THEY are WRONG!Lots of items ar available via aftermarket but that has no relationship to actual need.Atwood doesn't supply one OEM..doesn't have an Atwood part number and states they are NOT required.Do the vinegar soak.Remove T&P Relief ValveInstall NEW NYLON drain plug...Atwood uses NYLON due to high temp rating (Plastic temp rating is NOT high enough)10 gal WH tank------6 gallons of vinegar/4 gallons waterUse funnel and fill WH tank with mixtureInstall T&P Relief ValveRun WH thru 4-5 heat cycles W/O using/adding any waterHeat/let cool....repeatThen drain WH and flush(Do a 'power flush' but removing drain plug and then turning water on full and let it BLAST out of drain hole.....drain hole is only 1/2")

Plug should be the nylon from Atwood or other after market. No anode rod.

Atwood water heater anode rod | Good Sam Community

dougrainer
Nomad
Oct 05, 2017
road-runner wrote:
And as is all to typical, Camco says "Camco RV Magnesium Anode Rod extends the life of a water heater by attracting corrosive elements in the water, protecting the tank and elements from corrosion. This Anode Rod fits Atwood water heaters."

I'm not suggesting to believe this, just repeating what they say.

So, it is posted EXACTLY What Atwood states and you feel to post an aftermarket sales promotion?????????? Doug

"Atwood water heater tanks are constructed of a high strength aluminum.
The interior of the tank consists of a .0015 thickness of type 7072
aluminum (pure aluminum and zinc) that is fused to the core during the
rolling process. This material protects the tanks from the effects of heavy
metals and salts found in waters throughout the country. It is anodic to
these heavy metals and acts much like an anode in a steel glass lined
tank except it will last much longer. Aftermarket Anode Rods are not
required and should not be used and will void warranty
j-d
Explorer II
Oct 05, 2017
tempforce wrote:
I installed a drain valve...

What's the Valve made of? A plastic one, made for high temperature, sounds like a good idea. But if the valve is brass, very likely you won't be able to ever remove it without damage.
Lynnmor
Explorer
Oct 05, 2017
dougrainer wrote:

"Atwood water heater tanks are constructed of a high strength aluminum.
The interior of the tank consists of a .0015 thickness of type 7072
aluminum (pure aluminum and zinc) that is fused to the core during the
rolling process. This material protects the tanks from the effects of heavy
metals and salts found in waters throughout the country. It is anodic to
these heavy metals and acts much like an anode in a steel glass lined
tank except it will last much longer. Aftermarket Anode Rods are not
required and should not be used and will void warranty

First, that thickness can't be right.

Second, "It is anodic to these heavy metals and acts much like an anode in a steel glass lined tank except it will last much longer." this comment is something that I wonder about. With the tank sacrificing material like an anode rod, at some point the tank should be spent.
road-runner
Explorer III
Oct 05, 2017
dougrainer wrote:

So, it is posted EXACTLY What Atwood states and you feel to post an aftermarket sales promotion?????????? Doug
You assume my intent was to promote, while my intent is actually to point out the irony that it's like a Ford vs. Chevy, Republican vs. Democrat, etc. situation where the two sides sound like they're from a different planet. Sheesh, if I would have re-posted Atwood's statement somebody would have dumped on me posting something that's already there. I'm no chemist, I don't have any statistical data, I'm just an RV owner who is frustrated by the opposite claims, which taken together are absurd.
enblethen
Nomad
Oct 05, 2017
The coating on the inside of the tank is just that a coating over the top of standard aluminum. It is like but not the same as galvanizing over steel, it is a protective coating.
road-runner
Explorer III
Oct 05, 2017
I was meaning to keep my personal views off the thread but I'm giving in.

I have an Atwood tank with no anode rod. My reasons have nothing to do with the dueling manufacturers' chemistry based claims.

1) I sometimes cross-thread things. The design of my Atwood tank encourages this with the drain plug. Cross thread the anode rod and you can ruin the tank. Cross thread the Atwood plug and you can ruin the plug. The weight of the anode rod raises the risk of cross threading even further.

2) Anode rods lead to particles in the tank that can get into the plumbing system and foul things downstream.
Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Oct 06, 2017
Lynnmor wrote:
dougrainer wrote:

"Atwood water heater tanks are constructed of a high strength aluminum.
The interior of the tank consists of a .0015 thickness of type 7072
aluminum (pure aluminum and zinc) that is fused to the core during the
rolling process. This material protects the tanks from the effects of heavy
metals and salts found in waters throughout the country. It is anodic to
these heavy metals and acts much like an anode in a steel glass lined
tank except it will last much longer. Aftermarket Anode Rods are not
required and should not be used and will void warranty

First, that thickness can't be right.

Second, "It is anodic to these heavy metals and acts much like an anode in a steel glass lined tank except it will last much longer." this comment is something that I wonder about. With the tank sacrificing material like an anode rod, at some point the tank should be spent.

YES that is the correct thickness of the aluminum/zinc cladding inside the all aluminum tank Atwood uses.
It is a solid sheet of alloy that is 'bonded' to the full aluminum tank material during the 'rolling' process.

YES....over time that aluminum/zinc cladding will wear/deteriorate BUT you still have the full aluminum tank that then needs to deteriorate before pinhole leaks will occur.

Give or take a few years........20 year old Atwood aluminum tanks are not out of the norm

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