I drain mine only at the end of the camping season and also flush it out using a special long nosed nozzle made for that purpose. I only get a minimal amount of sediment when I flush it once a year. We camp only in Oregon, and the water is pretty good here, not too much junk in it. Never had a problem with stale smelly water.
I worked at a major RV sales and service center for a couple of years, and occasionally we'd get a trade-in with bad water in the water heater.
2007 Winnebago Access 31c
(2006 Ford E450 chassis)
I drain mine every trip, just before we roll out to leave home. I don't even mess with the drain plug on the water heater, there is a much easier way to drain almost ALL the water out of the camper:
1. Disconnect city water connection, open a hot and cold faucet to drain off pressure.
2. Open low point drain lines on bottom of trailer
3. Open pressure relief valve on water heater, to relieve pressure.
This allows almost *all* the water in the system, both pipes and water heater, to drain out. We do this just before leaving to head home from every trip. Not just because of the potential for the water to develop an odor when sitting, there are other reasons as well:
1. Weight - Water weighs what, 8 lbs per gallon? If you drain a 10 gallon water heater (and most of the water in the pipes) before you leave, thats a good 80-100 lbs less weight you're dragging down the road. Not a lot, I know, but the less unnecessary weight the truck has to tow, the better. Especially with how expensive fuel is these days.
2. Anode rod - By keeping the tank empty all the time except when actually camping/using it, that anode rod isn't immersed in water all the time, and as a result doesn't have to be replaced as often. Assuming we're talking about a water heater that has an anode rod, of course. I don't believe all of them do..
Will & Angela
2 wonderful children that love camping, Stephen & Allison
2003 Ford Excursion V10 4x4
2003 Thor Citation 33M, Hensley Arrow hitch, Brakesmart Brake Control
(wanna see? Here is a picture of it )
Offline
)
