Water Heater Tank lining flakes-Suburban WH

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   Hi.  I am a first-time RV-owner in Summer 2023.  I purchased a 2017 R-Pod 179 model.  As I've been learning how to operate the various features of the trailer, I determined that the water heater was not active.  I have learned it can be powered by both gas and electricity.  Before I tested it, I wanted to make sure it was sanitized.
I removed the anode rod and the tank was bone dry inside but had a lot of mineral/hardwater deposits. After looking at the water piping behind the water heater, I could see that the bypass valves were closed to isolate the HW tank. (I learned this from John Marucci's video)  I am guessing this was done in a prior year by the previous owner when they were winterizing.  

I found another video on YouTube by the National RV Training Academy (Tech Tip Tuesday guy) where he showed how to use a vinegar/water solution to dissolve deposits in the tank.  I did this, flushed the tank with clean water and then shop-vac'd out the residual water at the bottom of the tank which is lower than the anode rod port.  What came out was all that dissolved mineral deposit and, unfortunately, I noted some flakes of the enamel coating that lines the inside of the tank. When I shined a flashlight through the anode port, the tank appeared to be mostly enamel coated except a few small spots that were rusted.  I could not see the entire inside of the tank through this small port.

My questions to other R-Pod owners, it has anyone else seen this flaking of the enamel tank lining and is this something to be concerned about? I wouldn't want an enamel paint chip to exit the hot water tank and end up lodged somewhere in the Pex piping, clogging the hot water supply to one of my faucets or showers.

At this point, I haven't opened the bypass valves and filled the tank with fresh water to test whether it will actually heat water from LP gas or through the heating element.  When I opened the exterior cover hatch on the water heater, the electric switch had been left on, so I'm hoping the heating element isn't toast.

Anyway, I would like to avoid having to replace the entire water heater if this one can be made to work safely.  Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

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ShanTheMan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 09 Aug 2023 Location: Manhattan, KS Online Status: Offline Posts: 2	Post Options Post Reply Quote ShanTheMan Report Post Quote Reply Topic: Water Heater Tank lining flakes-Suburban WH Posted: 18 Aug 2023 at 1:04pm
	Hi. I am a first-time RV-owner in Summer 2023. I purchased a 2017 R-Pod 179 model. As I've been learning how to operate the various features of the trailer, I determined that the water heater was not active. I have learned it can be powered by both gas and electricity. Before I tested it, I wanted to make sure it was sanitized. I removed the anode rod and the tank was bone dry inside but had a lot of mineral/hardwater deposits. After looking at the water piping behind the water heater, I could see that the bypass valves were closed to isolate the HW tank. (I learned this from John Marucci's video) I am guessing this was done in a prior year by the previous owner when they were winterizing. I found another video on YouTube by the National RV Training Academy (Tech Tip Tuesday guy) where he showed how to use a vinegar/water solution to dissolve deposits in the tank. I did this, flushed the tank with clean water and then shop-vac'd out the residual water at the bottom of the tank which is lower than the anode rod port. What came out was all that dissolved mineral deposit and, unfortunately, I noted some flakes of the enamel coating that lines the inside of the tank. When I shined a flashlight through the anode port, the tank appeared to be mostly enamel coated except a few small spots that were rusted. I could not see the entire inside of the tank through this small port. My questions to other R-Pod owners, it has anyone else seen this flaking of the enamel tank lining and is this something to be concerned about? I wouldn't want an enamel paint chip to exit the hot water tank and end up lodged somewhere in the Pex piping, clogging the hot water supply to one of my faucets or showers. At this point, I haven't opened the bypass valves and filled the tank with fresh water to test whether it will actually heat water from LP gas or through the heating element. When I opened the exterior cover hatch on the water heater, the electric switch had been left on, so I'm hoping the heating element isn't toast. Anyway, I would like to avoid having to replace the entire water heater if this one can be made to work safely. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!
	ShanTheMan

lostagain Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2587	Post Options Post Reply Quote lostagain Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 18 Aug 2023 at 1:36pm
	Think of your water heater like tires or breaks. It has a limited lifespan and will have to be periodically replaced. Good maintenance can extend its life. Clean the crud out of it from time to time and make sure your anode rod is in good shape to minimize electrolysis and it'll last a few seasons longer. I replaces the water heater on ourPod the year we sold it. It had about 10 years of use and was pretty well maintained despite a very hard water where we lived in NV. Thankfully, we have very soft water here in CT and are not getting nearly as much scale buildup in our 2019 Sonoma. I still clean it regularly. The good thing is that it's not that hard to pull out the old one and put in a replacement. As I recall, I think I spent about an hour or so with the replacement in ourPod.
	Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

jato Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Location: Kewadin, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 3220	Post Options Post Reply Quote jato Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 18 Aug 2023 at 5:39pm
	Our tank is 12.5 years old and has only seen well water. Ours is relatively hard even though we live in an area of alkaline soils with pH averaging 7.6 - 7.8. The water is close to that pH as well even though it is considered hard. I have not noted any flaking in our tank although it seems like every other year I find myself cleaning the screens at both the water pump and the kitchen sink. We are still on our original anode rod; it does show some wear but at the rate it is decomposing it should last at least another 8-10 years and by that time it may have to be replaced. Go ahead an try your pump, worst case scenario is that you will have to clean the screens at the water pump and kitchen sink. As far as the switch for the HW heater being "on" if you have plugged your rpod into shore power even for a few seconds, the element will be toast. If you haven't you will probably be good to go.
	God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."

mjlrpod Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 27 Sep 2016 Location: Massachusetts Online Status: Offline Posts: 1214	Post Options Post Reply Quote mjlrpod Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 19 Aug 2023 at 12:28pm
	I'm probably just being hopeful, but the electric water heater element "could" still be ok. If the Electric switch was left on, it's possible they used the circuit breaker in the converter box to turn it on and off. You might not have noticed the breaker is off, cause it sounds like you didn't use hot water. "If" the breaker is off, you will be ok. But if all the breakers are on, yes, the electric element will be dead. The good news is, you can still heat water with propane. So you don't "have" to replace it if that still works. The water heater actually works better on propane BTW.
	2017.5 Rp-172 2020 R-pod 195 2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl I'll be rpodding

ShanTheMan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 09 Aug 2023 Location: Manhattan, KS Online Status: Offline Posts: 2	Post Options Post Reply Quote ShanTheMan Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 20 Aug 2023 at 12:58pm
	Thank you for the responses. I have been on "shore power" several times before I realized the water heater exterior switch had been left on. I will check the circuit breaker to see if that got turned off. I didn't think about that. I guess I'll go ahead and fill the tank, open the bypass valves and see if it will heat water with the electric element. If not, then I'll try heating water with propane. I did look online and you can purchase replacement heating elements that didn't look too expensive. I search for a video on how to replace it in case its more complicated than it appears. Thanks again.
	ShanTheMan

hank*pod Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 06 Oct 2022 Location: PA Online Status: Offline Posts: 61	Post Options Post Reply Quote hank*pod Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 21 Aug 2023 at 2:22pm
	My understanding is the element is about as easy to replace as the anode rod.