water heater sediment

[tspearcy]

My Tom has asked me to post a question on the forum . . . . .so here goes: What, if anything, does everyone do regarding the sediment that accumulates in the bottom of the water heater ? Flushing it with water only gets some of it out. Is there a way or has anyone "created" a small vacuum attachment that you could use to "clean out" the bottom on the heater ? Remember, be kind . . . .I am only the messenger !

Sandy

 

[Drew]

I just cleaned mine out and changed the zink. I have a little wand for my garden hose. It really cleans it out well. I just keep blasting away until it comes out clean and then I can stick my finger in there and feel the bottom of the tank. You can feel the sediment, then you cant.

 

[Duramax1]

I have a wand that I use to fill the fresh water tank. It has a flexible pipe which I insert into the water heater to stir up the sediment which then washes out with the water

 

[Bob&Patty]

I use the same method as above. The F/W tank filling nozzle works great. Im not sure how the others do it, but I push it in the hole and hold it tight with a rag and let it build up pressure in the tank. I then remove the "wand" and it will blow water out about 4'. 2-3 times of this and all the crud is gone. Bob

 

[SilverRhino]

I have a pistol grip garden hose nozzle that has rubber on the nose...with anode rod out...I just put the nozzle up to the hole and hold it tight while I squeeze the trigger. After about 3 or 4 good pressure sprays, sediment is all out of the tank. Another thing that helps is to do this periodically, we do not full time so I do it after every trip and then just put the anode in finger tight.

Travel Safe!

 

[wdk450]

I found this on Tweety's website, and saw it in a local trailer supply store:
http://tweetys.com/waterheaterflushingtool.aspx

I have a wand that I use to fill the fresh water tank. It has a flexible pipe which I insert into the water heater to stir up the sediment which then washes out with the water

 

[Peteandsharon]

I just bought this very same flushing tool at Camping World this weekend. With presidents club it was very similar to the Tweety's price.

 

[tspearcy]

Thanks, everyone, for all the ideas. I'm turning it over to "the boss" now ! ! !!

 

[westxsrt10]

If lived in my RV full time i'd install a automatic water heater blow down valve. I've installed a few of these on the job sites. Basically remove the anode and add a tee, replace the anode, add a soleniod valve to the bull run of the tee, run the outlet of the valve outside.
Once a week open it for a few seconds to remove the hard water debris.

 

[guyc66]

My Tom has asked me to post a question on the forum . . . . .so here goes: What, if anything, does everyone do regarding the sediment that accumulates in the bottom of the water heater ? Flushing it with water only gets some of it out. Is there a way or has anyone "created" a small vacuum attachment that you could use to "clean out" the bottom on the heater ? Remember, be kind . . . .I am only the messenger !

Sandy

You are right......simply flushing out the water heater doesn't get rid of all the sediment. I bought a piece of clear tubing from Home Depot and duct taped it to the end of my wet vac hose......simple, but effective way to get the tank really clean. I was amazed at how much sediment was still on the bottom of the tank even after thorough flushing.

 

[TandT]

I have always wondered why the mfgrs don't simply put a drain on the bottom that could route the debris out through the bottom of the coach.
To me that seems so much simpler than fishing around blindly with a water jet, trying to clean it out. Trace

 

[traveler44]

Every year I take a piece of wire and stir the sediment up and as the water drains out the sediment just washes out with it. I might be doing it wrong but there just seems to be about the same amount of sediment in there the next year. Like somebody said if the drain was all the way at the bottom of the tank I wouldn't even have to stir it up, it would just drain out.

 

[RoadJunkie]

I'm wondering why it is necessary, or even desirable, to remove the last 1% (or so) of sediment that is not lost during the drain and flush cycle? Is the effort to remove the last of the sediment really balanced with any functional need? I simply drain and flush...am I missing something here?

 

[guyc66]

I'm wondering why it is necessary, or even desirable, to remove the last 1% (or so) of sediment that is not lost during the drain and flush cycle? Is the effort to remove the last of the sediment really balanced with any functional need? I simply drain and flush...am I missing something here?

I'll leave this one for the experts, but the reason I vacuum it all out is just that I'm a clean freak.....no other real reason I suppose.