Leaking hot water heater/tank question

[Katja_and_Michael]

Hi there,

We've discovered that our hot water heater/tank leaks, in our 2006 3400RL. We are full-timing, and have been since 2006. We discovered the leak, as one always does, by accident, and it took us a while to figure out what it was (since we had a rain leak at the rear part of the long slide just a few weeks ago and assumed this was also rain-caused - we live in Victoria, BC where it rains a lot in the winter). We have called a repair man, and he said we need to replace the tank, and now we have to wait for his supplier to be open (next week) so he can order a new tank and install it - the Shamwow is great for sucking up the water as it's leaking out on the living room side of the kitchen el-island (under which the water heater is located).

My questions are: 1. How long have your hot water tanks lasted (extended warranty is 3 years (wouldn't you know!))? 2. Has anyone replaced theirs and modified the installation it so that it drains to the outside if it leaks (instead of inside all over the carpet), or into a tray? If so, would you be able to show some pictures or tell us what you did?

Thanks for any help you can give.

Katja

[clutch]

Our last trailer was 13 years old and the hot water tank was still working. Our Montana is an 03 and the tank has never been replaced. I flush it often and clean off the anode rod several times a year. I see a lot of water tanks being changed here in the park in Az. Without a good filtering system and regular maintenance they don't seem to last more than 4 to 5 years.

[racerjoe]

was the annode rod being used the whole time? Also maybe have the water tested to see if you need a good filtering system for hard water etc:

[KTManiac]

Just a thought.

Are you sure it is the tank itself that is leaking? Might it be more likely that it is one of its PEX fittings that is the culprit?



....unless somehow the tank was not drained, and it froze up there in the "Great White North".

[Katja_and_Michael]

Thank you all for your replies.

We are fulltiming, so do not empty our hot water tank - just use it as we would in a house, so it wouldn't have frozen.

We checked all the pipes and connections, and they are not leaking.

It's great that some tanks last for 13 years! We think that ours maybe had the glass liner broken when shipped from the factory, and it took 4 years to rust the tank through from the broken glass.

We are getting a new tank installed tomorrow, and it would have been great to know of some way we could modify the installation so that if the new one leaks, it would leak to the outside instead of inside.

Thanks again for your replies - the main reason we joined the MOC was the friendly, caring, knowledgeable and sharing people!

Cheers,

Katja

[racerjoe]

your question on to direct a leak, can you drill a hole under the tank area so water has an easier way out? I think what the fultimers are saying is that shutting the tank down 2-3 times a year,flushing, and changing annode rod if needed is the only way to get any life from the tank. The manufacturer would probably say "these are not meant to be used year round" personnaly I do not think the interior of these tanks are built like your home tank. Just my thoughts...

[Katja_and_Michael]

Thanks for your replies - we've had our new tank installed and Michael removed everything off the tank that is worth anything. When he took the styrofoam insulation off, he found that there was a large dent in the tank itself, probably dropped from some considerable height before the tank was insulated and installed, so it was probably broken when it was installed. Here's a picture of the dent:



Our repair guy (Tim Rogers of Rogers RV Repair - great guy!) suggested also (as some of you have) that we flush the tank and replace the anode every 3 months, and that's what we'll do from now on! Hopefully the tank we had installed doesn't have a dent hidden under its styrofoam!

Thanks for all your replies.

Katja

[exav8tr]

Katja, I have the same rig as yours and have been fulltiming since we took delivery in May of '07. I have flushed mine twice and changed the anode rod once. No problems. I think flushing and replacing the anode every three months might be a little overkill. I do use a double filter system. If you do not have a filter system I suggest you look at: www.rvwaterfilterstore.com, these folks, not related to me, are great to answer questions about these things. They make a lot of the bigger RV rallies......BTW I use the jumbo double filters and a pressure gauge from them. Good luck!!!!! Also, BTW that tank does look bad......

[Lambchop]

I flush ours when we get home in the spring from Florida. I find since I use a double filter system, that very little deposits come out. I guess it would also be how the quality of the water you are running through. Here in FL the water is not the best. I replace my anode rod every year.

Roy

[snfexpress]

We check our anode rod about every 6 months and use this opportunity to flush out the tank. We use the OEM water filter, but do also use a water softener.