Home ** Travel Adventures by Year ** Travel Adventures by State
Plants ** Marine-Boats ** Geology ** Exciting Drives ** Cute Signs
RV Subjects ** Miscellaneous Subjects
|
RV Water Heater Maintenance When you return from a trip and you won't be using the RV for awhile you need to drain the entire water system to prevent it from getting stale and musty. Start by draining the water heater. Go to the outside compartment where the water heater is located. The drain plug, or petcock is located in the bottom left hand corner. Remove the plug and open the pressure relief valve on top of the water heater to assist in draining. CAUTION: NEVER drain the water heater when it's hot or under pressure. Next, you need to locate the low point water line drains. It may take a while to find them, but I assure you they are there. There will be one for the hot and one for the cold water lines. This is the lowest point in the water system. Open these and let the water drain out. There's one more thing left to do, find the drain for the fresh water holding tank and drain all of the water from it. At this point you can turn the water pump on for a moment to force any remaining water out. Do not let the pump continue to run once the water stops draining. Close all the drains. Now, do not make the mistake that this is how you winterize the RV water system. If you do, it can be a very costly mistake next spring. All we have accomplished so far was to evacuate the majority of water from the system. If by accident you forget to drain the water system and you get that notorious stale odor all is not lost. You just need to sanitize the water system. •Start by draining all of the old water out, and then close all of the drains. •Take a quarter cup of house hold bleach for every fifteen gallons of water that your fresh water tank holds. •Mix the bleach, with water, into a one-gallon container and pour it into the fresh water holding tank. •Fill the fresh water tank completely full of water. •Turn the water pump on, open all hot and cold faucets and run the water until you smell the bleach at each faucet. •Close the faucets and let it sit for twelve hours. •Drain the entire system and re-fill the fresh water tank with water. •Open all of the faucets and run the water until you no longer smell any bleach. Once this is done it is safe to use your water system. It’s also a good idea to use a water filter at campgrounds and to keep bottled water on hand for drinking.
Atwood RV Water heater keeps sparking RV Tech answer: Blow out the burner and flue with compressed air (don't forget the safety glasses!) Next remove the hex head screw that holds the burner tube to the flue projection. Clean the area where the screw contacts the tube and the flue to make sure you are getting a good ground connection. Clean the contacts on the circuit board and the connectors with electrical contact cleaner. Then run a soft brush or a clean rag through the burner tube. Often there will be a spider web in there that even compressed air does not dislodge. Take care not to bend the flame spreader (if yours has one). Its a small metal plate located at the end of the burner tube. Reassemble everything and check to see that you have a good strong
blue flame and that the sensor electrode is in the flame (it should
glow red after a few seconds.) Check the electrode gap - it should
be about 1/8". If you need to adjust it, bend only the ground
electrode - not the one in the ceramic sleeve. ----------------------------------- Introduction Preventive Maintenance is maintenance you perform on your RV before a problem exists. These checks are designed to prevent or identify potential problems that could lead to mechanical breakdown, malfunction or failure of a component or system on your RV. Preventive Maintenance consists of cleaning, inspecting, lubricating, adjusting and servicing your RV Water Heater: Always make sure the water heater tank is full of water
before lighting. Open a hot water faucet and when you get a steady
flow of water the tank is full. Water Heater: Inspect the exterior water heater vent and burner area for obstructions like nests or mud daubers. Clean as required. ------------------------------------------ All Suburban water heaters are designed for easy installation, operation
and maintenance. The limit switch, reset button and on/off electric
element rocker switch are conveniently located in a housing behind
the removeable outer door. The electric heat element and combination
drain plug/anode rod are also located there. For convenience of installation,
rough-in openings for Suburban water heaters are small and less likely
to interfere with RV exterior design. Heated water attacks all metals, but not porcelain. That's why Suburban
uses a porcelain-lined, steel water heater tank with an anode rod
to ''absorb'' the electrolytical action - just like your water heater
at home. In fact, when a Suburban porcelain-lined tank is properly
maintained, tank life may double or triple its three-year limited
warranty, saving owners the cost of premature replacement. In addition,
every Suburban tank is pressure tested twice during the manufacturing
process to ensure its integrity. Water Heater:Drain the water heater tank after every trip. The drain plug is located in the bottom left corner of the outside water heater compartment. CAUTION: Do not drain the water heater when it is hot and/or under pressure!
This discussion will give you a few maintenance tips for RV water heaters. Lighting your RV Water Heater You should never make the mistake of lighting RV water heaters when they are empty. The tank needs to be completely full of water before you light the heater. You can easily tell whether or not the tank is full. First you have to open the faucet for hot water. When you start receiving a steady flow of water, you will know that the hot water tank is full. Draining your RV Water Heater The drain plug for RV water heaters is located on the bottom of the outside compartment. It's best to drain the tank completely after every trip you take. If you don't, then you at least need to drain RV water heaters during the winter months. If you don't, they may get damaged due to freezing. Also, make sure you never drain a water heat while it is under pressure or is hot. Sealing Many people seal their RV water heaters to protect them. However, you should never make the mistake of using plastic to seal the heater. Plastic can trap moisture, which may have the opposite effect of what you wanted. Trapped moisture can easily damage RV water heaters. Check your RVs Vent You should also inspect the burner area and exterior water heater
vent occasionally. These areas are prone to obstructions. You should
make sure any insect nests are blocking the vent and preventing the
release of harmful gases.
The Water Heater installed in your RV is primarily a propane gas appliance. The water heater installed in most RVs typically has a 6-gallon tank but larger RVs may have 10-gallon units. Dependent upon the model installed, your RV water heater may operate only on gas or on gas and/or 120 Volt AC. Your RV water heater may have a gas pilot light which will have to be lit each time you set up camp. Or it may have an automatic, direct spark ignition (DSI) system which allows the water heater to be operated by an electric switch inside the RV. All water heaters in recreational vehicles are equipped with a pressure relief valve that is designed to open if the temperature of the water within reaches 210 degrees F or if excessive pressure builds up. When the water supply pressure reaches 50 pounds per square inch (PSI), the relief valve will open and water will drip from the valve. The valve will close automatically once the pressure falls below 50 PSI. This dripping is normal and does not indicate a malfunctioning or defective valve. Also, when water is heated it expands and pressure can become greater than 50 PSI within the closed water system of the recreational vehicle and this will also cause weeping at the pressure relief valve. One way to minimize relief valve weeping is by maintaining an air pocket at the top of the water heater tank. The air pocket forms naturally by design but will reduce overtime through normal use. See RV Water Heater Care & Maintenance for instruction on how to restore the air pocket. Prior to operating the RV water heater for the first time, be sure there is water in the heating tank. Do so by first checking to see that the water heater by-pass valve, if installed, is open to let water flow into the tank. Next, connect the RV to a water source or turn on the onboard water pump. Open a hot-water tap and wait till water is flowing with no air in the line. Once water is flowing from the tap the heating tank is full and it is safe to operate the water heater. ------------------------------------- Cleaning the Hot Water Heater: ---------------------------------- Today we are going to perform some maintenance on our water heater. Some water heaters have what is called an "anode" which is a long piece of metal that attracts corrosion from the water in your water heater, to help preserve the metal components inside your water heater. From that, you can see how important it is to replace it regularly. Typical replacement should be every 6-12 months. That interval also allows us to flush out the water heater to maintain top efficiency in the heating process. To begin, we will need a 1-1/16" socket (rather large) to remove the anode, and some plumbers teflon tape for the installation of a new one. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REMOVE WITH A CRESCENT WRENCH, you will strip your anode, making it difficult to remove with the proper socket. Anodes can be purchased from Camping World. You can also purchase a specialized hose adapter for flushing your water heater at Camping World as well, which is recommended to assist you in flushing your tank. First you will want to turn off your water heater, and empty your hot water into your kitchen sink by running hot water until it turns cold. This is an important step, because when you remove the anode, the water in the tank will rush out, and we would rather that be nice cool water instead of scalding hot water. Turn off your water supply to the RV and drain as much pressure from the lines as possible, by running your kitchen faucet cold and hot water until water stops flowing, then turn off the faucet. Then you will want to go outside to the water heater access panel, remove it, and remove the anode carefully, bearing in mind that it is also your water heater drain plug, and there will be water in your tank. Let the water drain completely, and begin flushing to remove all the mineral deposits you can with your hot water flush adapter. When you have sufficiently removed all the deposits you can, turn back on the water supply to the RV and let water flow internally out the drain plug from the cold water fill to rinse out the tank, turn off the water supply again when the water runs clear with no bits of deposits. Now we will install our new anode. Make sure to wrap the threads with plumbers teflon tape to prevent leaks. Screw in the anode carefully, and tighten properly. Make sure the hot water valve on the kitchen faucet is turned on, and restore the water supply to the RV. Leave your faucet running until cold water flows from the hot water side of your kitchen sink, then turn it back off. This will insure that you fill up your tank completely to avoid damaging the tank when you turn on the heater. Now we are ready to turn back on our water heater. That is how to perform annual maintenance on your water heater! ----------------------------------------- We're in hot water now! ------------------------------------------ RV Water Heater The Water Heater installed in your RV is primarily a propane gas appliance. The water heater installed in most RVs typically has a 6-gallon tank but larger RVs may have 10-gallon units. Dependent upon the model installed, your RV water heater may operate only on gas or on gas and/or 120 Volt AC. Your RV water heater may have a gas pilot light which will have to be lit each time you set up camp. Or it may have an automatic, direct spark ignition (DSI) system which allows the water heater to be operated by an electric switch inside the RV. All water heaters in recreational vehicles are equipped with a pressure relief valve that is designed to open if the temperature of the water within reaches (210 degrees F) or if excessive pressure builds up. When the water supply pressure reaches 50 pounds per square inch (PSI), the relief valve will open and water will drip from the valve. The valve will close automatically once the pressure falls below 50 PSI. This dripping is normal and does not indicate a malfunctioning or defective valve. Also, when water is heated it expands and pressure can become greater than 50 PSI within the closed water system of the recreational vehicle and this will also cause weeping at the pressure relief valve. One way to minimize relief valve weeping is by maintaining an air pocket at the top of the water heater tank. The air pocket forms naturally by design but will reduce overtime through normal use. RV Water Heater Care & Maintenance Sacrificial Anode Rod Exterior Door Screen Check for Soot RV Water Heater Pressure Relief Valve Also, as water is heated it expands and with the closed water system in a recreational vehicle, water expansion will cause weeping at the pressure relief valve. One way to minimize this weeping is by maintaining an air pocket at the top of the water heater tank. The air pocket forms naturally by design but will reduce overtime through normal use. Replenishing the Air Pocket To Drain the Water Heater 1.Turn off power to the water heater at the switch or the main breaker.
----------------------------------------- RV Water Heaters Power The heater can be powered by either by shore power (110v AC) or by the propane tank. It's advantageous to use the 110v AC as it does not consume propane, but if you need to heat the water in a hurry you can turn on both the electric and the propane. There are rocker switches on the outside of the cabinet for controlling the heating. The gas switch has a light showing when it is on and will turn itself off when the water has been heated. The electric switch has no light. Maintenance The heater will have an external, vented panel on the outside of your RV to dissipate heat and allow access to some components. You will use this most frequently for the annual replacement of the anode rod. The anode rod is made of aluminum or magnesium and its purpose is to neutralize iron and sulfate in the water in order to prolong the life of the tank. It self destructs to do this, so it must be replaced yearly. To replace the anode rod, you will need to shut off the water supply and turn off the electric and gas to the water heater. Next, you will need to drain the tank via the pressure relief valve. BE CAREFUL - the water in the tank will probably be very hot. You will need a 1" wrench to remove the anode rod. A new rod will cost about $10 (2007). Always be careful when draining the hot water tank as the water can be scalding and come out fast and under pressure. Never turn on the electric heater for the hot water heater if the tank is empty. It will cause the electric heater to burn out and result in a costly repair. ------------------------------------- RV Water Heating Systems The water heater consists of an insulated storage tank of six to ten gallon capacity, and a propane gas burner that is used to heat the water. The storage tank is made of aluminum or glass-lined steel, depending on the model. The steel tanks use an anode rod to help prevent corrosion of the tank material. The corrosive elements in the water attack and "eat up"the anode rod rather than the material of the tank. These anode rods should be inspected and replaced annually, if required. Aluminum tanks do not require an anode rod. Additional options include electrical heating elements and motor assisted hot water systems in some motor homes. The cold water in the water heater expands as it is heated thus increasing the water pressure. This additional pressure may cause the temperature/pressure relief valve to "weep" and cause other leak problems. The RV water system is designed for water pressures of about 45 PSI. If the city water connection is hooked up to a water source, a water pressure regulator should be used to control the higher pressure. This pressure, along with the added pressure from the heated water may cause leaks to develop. The water heater is designed to trap a pocket of air above the water level in the tank. This air pocket compresses as the water is heated. The air pocket can eventually be absorbed by the motion of the vehicle and should be restored from time to time. To restore the air pocket, turn off the water pump or city water supply and open a hot water tap to reduce the water pressure to zero. Remove or open the water heater drain plug or valve. Allow the water heater to drain and flush it by running water through it for several minuets. Insert the plug or close the drain valve and re-fill the water heater tank until the water appears at the opened hot water faucet. Another solution would be to add an accumulator to the system. An accumulator is basically a sealed tank in the water system that has an air pocket to absorb extra pressure. Aluminum tanks have a special inner coating and do not use an anode rod. Atwood tanks are lined with a material that acts as an anode rod, so therefore no anode is needed. Suburban uses a glass-lined steel tank and a sacrificial anode rod (magnesium) is used to prevent the steel from being attacked. I don't see more Atwoods with corroded tanks as compared to Suburban tanks. (in my neck of the woods). I have seen anode rods in Atwood tanks that were impossible to remove, and a welder friend explained that it is the different metals that causes this. The anode rod threads are steel and the tank threads are aluminum. This is why Atwood uses a nylon plug for the drain and does not recommend replacing it with a brass or steel one. I suppose if the anode rod was installed with teflon tape or a plumbers pipe sealant this problem would be eliminated, but would the customer remember to do this every time the anode is removed and replaced? I hesitate to recommend anything to a customer that the manufacturer advises against. If something goes wrong the customer comes back, even years later, and says "You recommended such and such, now you owe me a new thingy"! Also, I figure that the manufacturer is the best one to recommend something to do with their product. I do recommend flushing the hot water tank occasionally to get rid of the sediment and corrosive deposits in the bottom of the tank. Just pull the drain plug, allow it to drain, and direct a stream of water into the drain hole to agitate the sediment. Then allow it to drain, repeat until the water comes out clean. Do this about every other month (or more if your water has a lot of minerals) The flushing also helps to eliminate any hydrogen sulfide that may build up in the tank (causes the rotten egg smell in the water), and makes the heater more efficient. Home ** Travel Adventures by Year ** Travel Adventures by State Plants ** Marine-Boats ** Geology ** Exciting Drives ** Cute Signs RV Subjects ** Miscellaneous Subjects
|
| ||
|
| |||
|
| |||
|
|