Quote:
Originally Posted by PeterOC
Does anyone drain the water heater to reduce weight when towing? at 8.3 lbs a gallon 6 gallons would be 50lbs, roughly the weight of one of my kids (wouldn't want to leave them behind instead...). Is it easy to drain the hot water tank? Anything to worry about like burning up the element if no water is in the hot water tank and I accidentally turn it on first? I presume dumping the fresh water does not dump the hot water tank, right? Adavantages and drawbacks of the idea are welcome. Thanks  |
I travel with no water at all, always fill at campsite. Of course, I camp where I can get water (not a hookup, mind you, but water is always available). I don't boondock, and I do want/need to save on weight. So, breaking camp means opening all the drain valves and letting all the water out.
IF YOU DO THIS, you need to make sure the tank is full again prior to turning on the water heater. The electric element will burn up in less than 1 second if there is no water in the tank when it's activated. So, I have a system with a carabiner clip: I set up at camp, fill the water tanks, make sure all the air is purged out of the lines. When I then go to turn on the hot water heater, I also take a clip out of that compartment, and put it on the handle for the bed slide in the back. When I'm breaking camp, this reminds me to turn off the water heater, which is when I replace the clip. As long as the water heater is off, you're safe. Once the heater is off -- much later in my break-down algorithm, after the TM is all closed up, I drain the tanks before hitting the road. Doing things in this order has kept my heater alive and well.