Suburban hot water heater threads

HuckleberryHunter wrote:

donn0128 wrote:
.......As a last resort,,go buy a 3/4 black pipe nipple, and using a saw or dremmel tool cut a couple of slots diagonal to the threads. This will clean out the threads easily.

I did this as a first resort when I found the threads on my WH (on my pre-owned RV) were slightly filled with hard water deposit. I didn't use black pipe, just a 10" section of galvanized from the hardware store. I used my 4" angle grinder with a cut off wheel to cut 3 slits down through the threads and cleaned up the burrs with a small file, and also ground off some of the upper threads to allow the pipe to seat a little deeper in the WH port. It's not perfect, but it cleans up the threads enough to help the replacement Anode to sit well. AND, I can flip it around and use it as a drain spout when winterizing, which keeps the water from spilling down the side of the trailer.
FWIW, I also use teflon tape. There will still be metal to metal contact where the threads cut through the teflon. It's just there to plug any spaces that cause leaking.

Either of these will work well. Many times hard water deposits and rust accumulates in the threads and restricts installing a new anode that these solutions will solve. Also, these cost a lot less than a tap.