Coast Resorts Open Roads Forum: Tech Issues: Water heater plastic plug

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Topic: Water heater plastic plug

Posted By: salem on 01/09/20 11:55am

I have an Atwood 6 ga. water heater. It uses a plastic plug as opposed to the Suburban heaters that use an anode rod. Talking among campers this morning one guy said he uses an anode rod in his Atwood tank, "Just to be safe." I'm certainly no expert, but I've never read on these forums that this is a good idea. Do any of you do this?

Posted By: SoundGuy on 01/09/20 12:00pm

salem wrote:

Talking among campers this morning one guy said he uses an anode rod in his Atwood tank, "Just to be safe."

Waste of time and $$. An Atwood water heater tank is aluminum and acts as it's own anode. Atwood doesn't recommend the use of an anode rod so why would you? [emoticon]

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Posted By: BFL13 on 01/09/20 12:01pm

No. Lots on that here:

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Posted By: salem on 01/09/20 12:03pm

That what I was thinking, Sound Guy, thanks. So, what are the Suburbans made of. Metal?

Posted By: MFL on 01/09/20 12:12pm

Suburban...steel tank, uses steel plug/anode. You don't want to put a steel plug anode in an aluminum tank, reason why Atwood uses a plastic plug.

Jerry

* This post was edited 01/10/20 06:06am by MFL *

Posted By: salem on 01/09/20 12:23pm

BFL13: Good reading, thanks.

Posted By: Old-Biscuit on 01/09/20 12:26pm

Tell your firend he is NOT being safe using an anode rod in his Atwood Aluminum Tank----which consists of a 15% thickness of type 7072 aluminum (pure aluminum and zinc) that is fused to the core during the rolling process.
THe ZINC Cladding provides the needed protection

Just because a product is SOLD via Aftermarket does NOT mean it is worthwhile, an improvement or necessary.

Atwood does NOT even have OEM ande rods..........that tells you NO!

Is it time for your medication or mine?

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Posted By: Lwiddis on 01/09/20 01:51pm

And the plastic plug works fine. I carry an extra so I'll never lose the original. It is small and light unlike the extra kitchen sink.

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Posted By: cavie on 01/09/20 03:18pm

The plug is not plastic. It is nylon. Why do people constantly try to reinvent the wheel?

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Posted By: wa8yxm on 01/09/20 04:39pm

salem wrote:

Not sure if this is high school chemistry or physics but it is HS science so we should all know it,, no need for a college degree (but I got one of those too)

Every element and every metal and alloy has a "Valiance" number.. Now It has been a long time since I took the class so I'd need to research it a bit to be detailed enough but I recall what they mean

Different metals react differently.. The metal used by Suburban in their tanks is fairly reactive with most water so they use a SACRIFICIAL anode to protect it .. The metal used by Atwood is far less reactive. and thus the anode is not only not needed.... it voids the warranty.

NOTE brass will react with the metal of the Atwood tank so brass plugs ALSO void the warranty.. This is why they use Nylon.

Will a Sacrificial anode bother the Atwood.. not sure (do not think so) but it voids so don't do it.

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Posted By: salem on 01/09/20 08:06pm

Excellent discussion with some really good information. Thanks all.

Posted By: MrWizard on 01/09/20 09:36pm

Anode rods are magnesium
Not steel

I can explain it to you.
But I Can Not understand it for you !
....

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Posted By: Lynnmor on 01/10/20 01:26am

The threaded portion of an anode rod is usually steel. The T & P valve is brass or bronze so maybe the drain plug could be as well. Expecting the tank to be the sacrificial anode seems like a bad idea and adding a rod should be a benefit. That paper thin layer of zinc is probably compromised at bends and fittings just like the glass lining of steel tanks that need an anode rod for that reason.

Posted By: NRALIFR on 01/10/20 05:41am

Lynnmor-
Apparently, part of the manufacturing process for Atwood (now Dometic) aluminum water heater tanks is suspending the laws of physics inside them. According to the interweb experts, they are the only aluminum vessels on earth that will NOT react and corrode in the presence of water. Buy an aluminum boat, it will have an anode. An aluminum fresh water storage tank, it needs an anode.

In reality, Atwood/Dometic makes no claims that the cladding in their tanks will prevent corrosion. In fact, they acknowledge that the cladding is the sacrificial anode, and that in the presence of certain types of water, corrosion can happen very quickly, and pinholes can form in the tank. Or at least they did before the company was acquired by Dometic. Their documentation is completely different now.

It’s also not true that your warranty will be void if you use anything other than the plastic (oops, nylon) plug. The actual wording in their warranty document is: “damage or failure caused by installation of accessories not manufactured and marketed by the Seller or any non-Dometic parts that are installed as replacement parts”. The key words are “damage or failure caused by”. That’s a pretty standard position for a manufacturer to take regarding warranty coverage.

The warranty on water heaters is two years, so the smart thing to do would be to use the recommended plug during the warranty period, then do what you want after that. Unless you’re spending long periods of time in an area with sub-par water, your WH will most likely last much longer than that. Mine’s nearly 20 years old, and other than the original plug, it’s always had something other than the nylon plug in the drain hole. The brass petcock that’s in it now has been there for several years, and I’ve removed it periodically to flush the tank.

I’ve also used an anode rod, and as long as it’s more anodic than the tank cladding, then the rod will corrode rather than the tank. That’s just how it works. I use either thread tape or Rectorseal on the threads. It doesn’t leak, and the threads are fine.

If you do happen to damage the threads (which can happen even with the nylon plug), provided it’s not too bad there is such a thing as an NPT tap or thread chaser.

[emoticon]

* This post was last edited 01/10/20 10:01am by NRALIFR *

Posted By: wa8yxm on 01/10/20 05:51am

cavie wrote:

The plug is not plastic. It is nylon. Why do people constantly try to reinvent the wheel?

Uh. Nylon is a man made product (Man made silk replacement if it's spun into find threads) and the word plastic means MAN MADE

So nylon is a type of plastic.. True there are many types of plastic. but NYLON is one of them. So for those of you who have been calling it "Plastic" it is

And for those who call it NYLON.. that too.

Both words are correct.

Posted By: dougrainer on 01/10/20 05:52am

1. If you follow the manual and DRAIN your Atwood at least once a year,(better 3 or 4 times), you will not have a corrosion problem
2. Even HOME water Heaters require draining once a year and they do have anode rods.
3. I would like to see how a NYLON thread could damage the Metal threads in a tank---- ridiculous to state this. I Have never seen it in 40 years. You can cross thread the Nylon, but that just ruins the Nylon plug
4. ALL this talk and the simple thing is to just use the Nylon plug in Atwood. Is it really that hard and such a big deal? Just be proactive and drain your Water Heaters(Suburban and Atwood) on a regular basis. Takes 5 minutes.
5. ALWAYS drain either brand water heater when you are not going to use the RV for awhile. The water goes BAD in both brands and can smell awful

Posted By: MFL on 01/10/20 06:03am

MrWizard wrote:

Anode rods are magnesium
Not steel

Partly correct, the anode rod is magnesium, but an aluminum rod is also available from Suburban. You may have misinterpreted my earlier post, meaning the plug is steel, not the rod.

Good to know that Atwood plug is nylon, not plastic. [emoticon]

Jerry

Posted By: Roger10378 on 01/10/20 06:45am

wa8yxm wrote:

cavie wrote:

The plug is not plastic. It is nylon. Why do people constantly try to reinvent the wheel?

You need to take this one step further. Nylon is a brand name. Most of what we call nylon is not because it is made by someone other than the brand holder.

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Posted By: GDS-3950BH on 01/10/20 06:55am

Roger10378 wrote:

wa8yxm wrote:

cavie wrote:

The plug is not plastic. It is nylon. Why do people constantly try to reinvent the wheel?

You need to take this one step further. Nylon is a brand name. Most of what we call nylon is not because it is made by someone other than the brand holder.

WTF? ROFLMAO!

Posted By: SoundGuy on 01/10/20 06:58am

salem wrote:

That what I was thinking, Sound Guy, thanks. So, what are the Suburbans made of. Metal?

Porcelain lined steel tank so Suburban does supply every model sold with an anode rod.

Posted By: SoundGuy on 01/10/20 07:01am

MrWizard wrote:

Anode rods are magnesium
Not steel

Not true - one can buy anode rods made of magnesium, aluminum, or zinc.

Posted By: Old-Biscuit on 01/10/20 01:08pm

wa8yxm wrote:

salem wrote:

Hummmmmmmmm.....
Brass
Atwood T&P Relief Valve is Brass.
Atwood heater element is steel

NYLON is used for drain plug for severals reasons....one being the frequency of removing/installing plug

Suburban......
They use a Steel tank that has a sprayed on glass-lining
JUST like residential water heater
Anode rod is nessecary to help keep steel tank from rusting out because glass-lining cracks & doesn't completely cover all surfaces
(I don't have a college degree---)

Posted By: MrWizard on 01/10/20 02:07pm

SoundGuy wrote:

MrWizard wrote:

Anode rods are magnesium
Not steel

Not true - one can buy anode rods made of magnesium, aluminum, or zinc.

None of those 3 metals is steel

And my original post was a response to this statement

"anode rods are steel" nothing in that statement about plugs, or threaded end holders

I just put a new nylon drain plug in my WH

Posted By: pianotuna on 01/10/20 02:19pm

Does anyone know of a nylon plug that has an integrated drain valve? Thanks in advance.

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Posted By: Gdetrailer on 01/10/20 08:51pm

pianotuna wrote:

Does anyone know of a nylon plug that has an integrated drain valve? Thanks in advance.

It isn't "rocket science", "brain surgery", require a Masters degree or even the need to stay in a "Holiday Inn" to remove and reinstall a simple little "nylon" (to keep in politically correct and not call it plastic) plug nor is it difficult to do so without causing damage or even being inconvenient..

Yes, the Attwood plug location is a bit of a pain to get to, but it CAN be done and you do not HAVE to drain it every day. ONCE A SEASON IS PLENTY or when extreme cold camping drain it before things freeze.

They DO make a special tool for removing and installing, it doesn' cost a arm or leg or you can use standard every day and easy to find socket and wrench with a short extension.

Absolutely no "need" for Anode rod, no need for drain valves or petcocks, in fact I absolutely HATED that lousy miserable brass drain petcock on the Suburban water heater my first TT had.. Blasted brass petcocks tend to get really stuck shut which requires using a pair of channel locks bending the ears and hopefully not snapping it off in the process.. And as luck had it, the Suburban petcock also was in such a place that even was a challenge to get channel locks into..

Buy the stupid NYLON PLUG and use either the special tool or a socket wrench with a short extension and move on.

The Nylon plug IS the proper tool for the job.. That is what the manufacturer designed to be used.

Posted By: TurnThePage on 01/10/20 09:43pm

pianotuna wrote:

Does anyone know of a nylon plug that has an integrated drain valve? Thanks in advance.

They used to be readily available. I have one. When this thread started, I was quite surprised that they weren't mentioned. Then I searched. I guess they're no long made.

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Posted By: pianotuna on 01/10/20 09:58pm

Gdetrailer,

I'm on my third nylon plug and I do use socket for removal and replacement. I some times winterize 7 times between October and April. A valve might make that a bit more convenient, especially at -30.

I do know that there are plastic valves for Reverse Osmosis systems.

Posted By: salem on 01/10/20 10:04pm

I believe a 15/16 socket will fit the half inch "NYLON" plug. [emoticon]

Posted By: Lwiddis on 02/08/20 05:27pm

“The plug is not plastic. It is nylon. Why do people constantly try to reinvent the wheel?”

Not nice.

Posted By: Cleaver on 02/08/20 06:25pm

I run an anode in my atwood. Not real sure if it has saved my tank or not. But the water here will eat the anode almost completely in a single summer.

Now for my reason: Bought the camper and tank was frozen and split.
-welded it back together and pressure tested...
-I knew that I had changed the aluminum mixed with whatever else ppl say these are made with.
-So I ran with the anode just to try and make it last. $20.00 investment. I've spent more on crazier things.

Posted By: Horsedoc on 02/09/20 07:53am

wa8yxm wrote:

salem wrote:

Pretty much spot on, but - perhaps thou means
valance rather than valiance?
Dr Handler would be so proud of me [emoticon]

* This post was edited 02/09/20 08:10am by Horsedoc *

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