Montana Owners Club - Keystone Montana 5th Wheel Forum - View Single Post

Kfinnert · 04-11-2024, 11:03 AM

Good morning -

I have a similar floor plan in my rig and I had similar issues as you. I absolutely agree with all of the recommendations here. It is fairly straightforward to perform maintenance on your hot water heater and a lot cheaper than having the tank replaced.

First and foremost, pull the anode and flush the tank - there are Youtube Videos on this process and the wand you may use. If you have cross threaded the anode rod, it is easy to rethread it with the new anode rod IF you had not torque the old rod into place and REALLY crossed the threads. Just take your time to line up the threads and go slowly installing the replacement. I would wait on reinstalling the new anode rod until you finished the maintenance as described below.

Next, remove the hot water relief valve. Purchase new one from Lowes, Home Depot of an RV Parts Store. Use the old one as your example of the replacement one you will need. With the release valve removed, flush the tank again and do so from the top so any debris may flow from the lower port where the anode had been. This will get any remaining junk out.

Using a flashlite, place it over the top port where the release valve had been located to lite the interior of the tank. Look through the lower port and you should be able to inspect the interior of the tank. This will provide you with a bunch of information as to the condition of the interior of the tank! I have a 2008, and my tank interior looked great...

Next, replace the hot water heater switch. This is straightforward process to and can be found on Youtube as well.

Once the switch is in, then replace the hot water relief valve and then the anode. Use plumbers tape and be careful when threading the components.

Finally, WITH THE TANK SEALED, you can address the rust, if it bothers you. Look for a rust removal product. It is absolutely critical to have the water tank sealed to ensure you do not have contamination of the tank's interior by solvents or metal shavings.

If you are uncomfortable with this process, then I would ask an RV Maintenance shop/person to that you trust to perform the maintenance. This would be option two if you chose not to perform the work yourself.

Best of luck!

04-11-2024, 11:03 AM	#15
Kfinnert Montana Fan Join Date: Dec 2022 Location: Union City Posts: 104 M.O.C. #32153	Good morning - I have a similar floor plan in my rig and I had similar issues as you. I absolutely agree with all of the recommendations here. It is fairly straightforward to perform maintenance on your hot water heater and a lot cheaper than having the tank replaced. First and foremost, pull the anode and flush the tank - there are Youtube Videos on this process and the wand you may use. If you have cross threaded the anode rod, it is easy to rethread it with the new anode rod IF you had not torque the old rod into place and REALLY crossed the threads. Just take your time to line up the threads and go slowly installing the replacement. I would wait on reinstalling the new anode rod until you finished the maintenance as described below. Next, remove the hot water relief valve. Purchase new one from Lowes, Home Depot of an RV Parts Store. Use the old one as your example of the replacement one you will need. With the release valve removed, flush the tank again and do so from the top so any debris may flow from the lower port where the anode had been. This will get any remaining junk out. Using a flashlite, place it over the top port where the release valve had been located to lite the interior of the tank. Look through the lower port and you should be able to inspect the interior of the tank. This will provide you with a bunch of information as to the condition of the interior of the tank! I have a 2008, and my tank interior looked great... Next, replace the hot water heater switch. This is straightforward process to and can be found on Youtube as well. Once the switch is in, then replace the hot water relief valve and then the anode. Use plumbers tape and be careful when threading the components. Finally, WITH THE TANK SEALED, you can address the rust, if it bothers you. Look for a rust removal product. It is absolutely critical to have the water tank sealed to ensure you do not have contamination of the tank's interior by solvents or metal shavings. If you are uncomfortable with this process, then I would ask an RV Maintenance shop/person to that you trust to perform the maintenance. This would be option two if you chose not to perform the work yourself. Best of luck!