Did I drain the water system?

J

jacuthbert

New member
I am a bit intimidated by the water heater. I wanted to drain the water system and so I just turned on the hot and cold water faucets at the sink and operated the toilet until no more water came out. Then I hooked up a sewer hose I have to the septic and flushed all the sewage at an RV dumpstation. I was figuring I had emptied everything, but now I fear maybe all the water is not out of the water heater (which I have never used).
Can anyone tell me if the process I used emptied the water heater and all the lines?
Thanks for your help.
Amanda
 
If your boat is like mine, there is a drain valve right in front of the tank. If you open it, the water in the tank drains into the bilge. If you install a RV water heater bypass kit, then you can run antifreeze through the water system without getting it into the heater where it might be harder to clean out.

Warren
 
I know the feeling. I'm pretty sure the heater drained completely :?: , but I'm also pretty sure the 1st freeze we had toasted my water pump since it is no longer working and I confirmed it has power. I did not do the pink AF this yr and instead blew the system out w/ 50psi of compressed air from my home compressor system. I figured come next spring it would be easier. I think I out-smarted myself. :roll: :roll:
 
You do need to drain the hot water tank completely. Running the hot faucet will not get everything out.

First - open the drain valve knob (lower left) then lift the pressure valve (metal switch on upper right side). You should see water draining through the hose and it should empty into your shower sump (at least it does on the Tomcat).

Second - get a 15" piece of regular garden hose, two hose connector inserts (I want to say 1/2" but I don't recall off the top of my head), and two hose clamps. Once drained, remove the hoses (using hair dryer or heat gun to warm the hose) and connect them to your bypass hose. There is only one hose going in and one hose going out so you can't miss them! Expect about a gallon of water to drain out when you disconnect the water feed to the hot water tank so be prepared with a towel.

Lastly - connect the bypass hose to the input and output hose that was originally connected to the hot water heater. When you then add non-toxic antifreeze you will not need the extra 6 gallons to fill your hot water tank :)

Good luck - always better safe than sorry. It's really a cinch once you've done it once and have your hot water bypass set to go for the future.
 
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