| Rust in my hot water heater [message #186102] |
Mon, 01 October 2012 15:53  |
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I was having a smelly hot water problem so I pulled the tank to replace the anode. I'm finding that I have rust inside the tank which I want to eliminate as much as possible before I reinstall.
Since the tank is out I can put it on end and fill it with whatever is best to clean out the rust. Suggestions for what to put in the tank will be appreciated.
Bill Brown - '77 Buckeye Cruiser
Coshocton OH
carguybill@sbcglobal.net
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| Re: Rust in my hot water heater [message #186128 is a reply to message #186102] |
Mon, 01 October 2012 18:22  |
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Admittedly a stainless tank would be nice but $300 plus shipping to replace a good working tank that has some internal rust doesn't make sense to me.
How about it you chemical guys - surely there must be something I can put into the tank to at least reduce the rust.
Bill Brown - '77 Buckeye Cruiser
Coshocton OH
carguybill@sbcglobal.net
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| Re: [GMCnet] Rust in my hot water heater [message #186135 is a reply to message #186132] |
Mon, 01 October 2012 19:34 |
Ken Henderson
Messages: 8726
Registered: March 2004
Location: Americus, GA
Karma: 9
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Senior Member |
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THEN test it under pressure for the leaks the rust created. Just plug one
tank fitting and connect a water hose to the other. If you don't have high
water pressure at your place, find someone who does.
Ken H.
On Mon, Oct 1, 2012 at 7:41 PM, Emery Stora wrote:
> Use muriatic acid (HCl). It is commonly used for etching concrete.
>
> It will quickly dissolve the rust. Be sure to rince it out well to get rid
> of the acid. You can use some baking soda to neutralize it quickly.
>
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Ken Henderson
Americus, GA
www.gmcwipersetc.com
Large Wiring Diagrams
76 X-Birchaven
76 X-Palm Beach
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| Re: [GMCnet] Rust in my hot water heater [message #186262 is a reply to message #186132] |
Tue, 02 October 2012 21:29 |
Ken Burton
Messages: 10030
Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana
Karma: 10
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Senior Member |
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| emerystora wrote on Mon, 01 October 2012 18:41 |
Use muriatic acid (HCl). It is commonly used for etching concrete.
It will quickly dissolve the rust. Be sure to rince it out well to get rid of the acid. You can use some baking soda to neutralize it quickly.
Emery Stora
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I had a very rusty Yamaha snowmobile tank once. I got muriatic acid from a coffee supply company. They use it to clean coffee urns. One dose of that did the trick. I flushed it for 30 minutes afterward with cold water. That tank is still on that snowmobile 20+ years later. The guy at my airport that fixes motorcycle tanks also used muriatic acid to clean the rust out of the tanks before welding them.
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
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| Re: Rust in my hot water heater [message #186357 is a reply to message #186102] |
Wed, 03 October 2012 22:05 |
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Thanks to you all for your suggestions. At the end of the day I have decided to take the advice of Gene & Dan and do what I actually lusted after for years. I bit the bullet and bought a stainless tank.
Bill Brown - '77 Buckeye Cruiser
Coshocton OH
carguybill@sbcglobal.net
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| Re: Rust in my hot water heater [message #186809 is a reply to message #186102] |
Tue, 09 October 2012 20:31 |
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Got my new stainless steel hot water tank today. WOW! What a beautiful piece. Seems a shame to wrap it with insulation and hide it under the counter in the head. Sorry I waited so long.
Bill Brown - '77 Buckeye Cruiser
Coshocton OH
carguybill@sbcglobal.net
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| Re: [GMCnet] Rust in my hot water heater [message #186810 is a reply to message #186809] |
Tue, 09 October 2012 20:43 |
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You could always replumb and forget about keeping water hot so you can show
off the shiny, well-made tank.
--
Byron Songer
Louisville, KY
http://www.gmceast.com
Bill Brown wrote:
>
>
> Got my new stainless steel hot water tank today. WOW! What a beautiful piece.
> Seems a shame to wrap it with insulation and hide it under the counter in the
> head. Sorry I waited so long.
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--
Byron Songer
Full-timing to enjoy the USA
Former owner but still an admirer
GMC paint schemes at -
http://www.songerconsulting.net
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| Re: [GMCnet] Rust in my hot water heater [message #186850 is a reply to message #186848] |
Wed, 10 October 2012 10:35 |
k2gkk
Messages: 4452
Registered: November 2009
Karma: -8
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Senior Member |
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Usually available at WallyWorld and other "big box" stores
as well as pool supply stores where it probably costs more!
It should be available in different sizes. Try "spa" stores.
I never "shocked" my pool in the 10 years I had it. I kept
the chlorine level within a reasonable level, allowing the
concentration to fluctuate up and down. When the Cl level
got down, I'd step up the rate of chlorination through the
automatic chlorinator until got a bit above recommended and
then cut the dispensing rate until concentration got low
again. I suppose that had the effect of "shocking" but I
never actually used a "shock" product. Pool went away when
the tornado took everything.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~~ ~ D C "Mac" Macdonald ~ ~~
~ ~ Amateur Radio - K2GKK ~ ~
~ ~ USAF and FAA, Retired ~ ~
~ ~ ~ Oklahoma City, OK ~ ~ ~
~~ ~ ~ "The Money Pit" ~ ~ ~~
~ ~ ~ ~ TZE166V101966 ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ '76 ex-Palm Beach ~ ~ ~
~ www.gmcmhphotos.com/okclb ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
______________
*[ ]~~~[][ ][|\
*--OO--[]---O-*
> Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2012 07:49:02 -0700
> From: bowks43@rogers.com
> To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
> Subject: [GMCnet] Rust in my hot water heater
>
>
> That's just standard pool shock, used for algae control. Also available in liquid form. Be very careful handling it. It's a strong bleech & will ruin shoes & pants. Also can give off a gas as in WW1 chlorine gas.
> Norm
>
>
>
>
> I got a haircut this morning...stick with me here....this all happened just 20 minutes ago.
> I was talking with the barber who has a trailer on a permanent site in a lake campground. He had problems with rust...etc... in his water. In talking with another camper he came across a product called "Pool-shock". It is in a powder form and he simply disconnects the hose at the campground water supply, empties the hose of water and pours several tablespoons of the chemical into the hose. Reconnects the hose and runs the water at each water source in the camper (including the toilet) until he smells a chlorine odor. Then he waits an hour for the substance to do its thing. When he turns on the water to clear it of the chemical, the water comes out a light chocolate brown. He runs the water until the odor and color goes away. He does it twice a year. Apparently this product is used to keep Pool and hot tubs clear. I've never heard of this stuff...have you?
> Here, I found it at Amazon...
>
> http://tinyurl.com/9kajdsz
> --
> Larry :)
> 78 Royale w/500 Caddy
> Menomonie, WI.
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| Re: Rust in my hot water heater [message #186900 is a reply to message #186102] |
Wed, 10 October 2012 18:44 |
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Here is some information from the past that I saved re sanitizing the fresh water system.
Robert C Noble wrote:
Wife has asked how one goes about sanitizing a water system that has been unused for years and has been opened for repairs? Is city water chlorine enough with a good flushing, or is there a better way, say with bleach or some such?
Here's a procedure that I put together recently for one of my RV manufacturer customers' owner's manual. There's a "super-chlorination" procedure, a "routine" sanitizing procedure and a "shock treatment" procedure. Adjust the quantities for your situation. Hope it helps.
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Sanitizing The Fresh Water Tank and System
For RVers who consume water from their RV tanks, the most important fact to remember is that potable water doesn’t stay potable for long. Even though you may be completely confident in your water supply, by the time city water reaches the tap, the chlorine level is already reduced. Air, heat and the sloshing of the water will quickly dissipate the remaining chlorine. Any microorganisms that the chlorine had inhibited but not killed will now become active. This new growth of microorganisms will render the water unpalatable and perhaps un-potable, producing slime and algae in the tank and lines.
To prevent this problem, you as an RV owner must maintain a safe system, treat the water that is stored in your holding tank and consider installing a water purification system.
How To Maintain Your System
There are two sanitation procedures that you need to learn and use. One can be considered a shock treatment for serious contamination and before you use the system for the first time, and the other is for routine maintenance to keep the system fresh during your normal travels. Well cover the shock treatment in the Care and Maintenance chapter.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advocates a method called super-chlorination/de-chlorination to prevent bacterial growth while traveling. This method adds chlorine to the water in increased amounts to provide a minimum chlorine residual of 3.0 ppm (parts per million) for a contact period of five minutes. Your tank will be full of water with a high concentration of chlorine. A granular activated carbon (GAC) filter can be used to remove the chlorine taste.
To super-chlorinate:
1. Connect your hose to your RV.
2. Pour 1 teaspoon of chlorine bleach for every ten gallons of tank capacity into the opposite end of the hose, prior to connecting it to the filling source.
3. Connect the hose to your water supply and fill normally.
Use chlorine every time you fill up with fresh water. This will also keep the filler hose sanitary and protect it from becoming contaminated. Use a chlorine test kit regularly to determine the residual chlorine level (3.0 ppm recommended). Testing should not be done immediately after filling, wait until the water has been standing for at least six hours.
Between trips or every few months you should do routine tank sanitation to keep the tank and system fresh and odor-free.
Routine tank sanitation:
1. Drain the water tank completely, then refill halfway with clean, fresh water.
2. Mix 1/6-cup of regular chlorine bleach (not fragranced) for every 15 gallons of tank capacity into a container filled with a gallon or two of clean water.
3. Pour this mixture into the water tank.
4. Top off the water tank with fresh water. Drive the trailer around the block a couple of times to mix the solution.
5. Pump about a quart of water through each faucet so that all the lines are filled with the water/bleach mixture from the tank.
6. Because the hot water tank holds around 6 gallons of water, run the hot water faucets until this much of the water/bleach solution has passed to ensure that the old water has been purged from the tank and replaced by the new solution.
7. Let the water stand in the system for three to six hours.
8. Drain the entire water system, hot water tank included.
9. To remove the bleach odor, mix a cup of baking soda with a gallon of water and pour into the fresh water tank.
10. Fill the tank completely and pump this solution through the water heater and the rest of the water lines as in step 5. Let this solution sit in the system for a few days to neutralize the odor.
11. Drain the entire system and refill with fresh, clean water.
Fresh Water System Sanitation (Shock Treatment)
The entire fresh water system should be sanitized before the first use, after a period of non-use, or if the system becomes contaminated. To fully sanitize the system:
1. Open the water tank drain valve and completely drain the water tank. Close the valve after the tank is fully drained.
2. Add about 10 gallons of fresh water to the water tank.
3. Add 2/3-cup (six ounces) of liquid chlorine bleach for each 10 gallons of tank capacity (1/2-gallon bleach for 100 gallon tank).
4. Completely fill the water tank with fresh water.
5. Close the valve at the water purifier (if equipped) unless the water has been contaminated. If the water is contaminated, discard the filter cartridge and leave the valve open.
6. Close the icemaker valve and drain the icemaker (if equipped).
7. Turn the water pump ON and open all the sink, tub/shower drains and faucets to allow air to escape from the plumbing. After all air has escaped, and solution has flowed through the faucets, close the drains and faucets and turn the pump OFF. This fills the entire system with solution. When you can smell the chlorine from each faucet, that’s enough.
8. Run the hot-water faucets until the old water has been purged from the hot-water tank, and it is now filled with the water/bleach solution from the water tank.
9. Allow the filled system to stand for several hours.
10. Open the tank drain valve, water heater drain valve and all faucets. Turn the water pump ON and flush the system until the water tank is empty. Turn the water pump OFF. Be careful to not overfill the waste tanks.
11. After draining the system, close the drain system.
12. To remove the bleach odor, mix cup of baking soda with a gallon of water and pour into the fresh water tank.
13. Fill the tank completely and pump this solution through the water heater and the rest of the water lines. This solution can sit in the system for a few days.
14. To remove residual chlorine from the system, run fresh water through the system using the water pump with the faucets open.
15. Fill the water tank with fresh water for use.
16. Open the icemaker valve and water purifier valve (if equipped). Replace the filter cartridge if it had become contaminated.
Toby Maki
]73 Glacier 230
Riverside, CA
There is a conditioner that you can use on the toilet seal. Fill the black tank about 3/4 with water using all of the hot and cold water faucets and flushing the toilet. Fill the sinks adding dishwashing soap then dump down the drains into the black tank. With the black tank 3/4 full now fill the water tank 3/4 full with a water/bleach mixture (I use a bleach tablet that is available at a RV shop or Wal-Mart). Now drive the GMC around for about a half hour to forty-five minutes to slosh and mix the water around. When you get home turn on the water pump to pressurize the water lines to check for leaks in the lines and drains. I would even turn on the water heater and check this for leaks also. Let everything sit for a couple hours and dump, refill, refresh maybe a few times. Once the water stop smelling like bleach and quits foaming from the winterizing antifreeze fill water tank with water, dump about two or three gallons of water in the black tank, leave water in toilet and remember to pour some water down the wet bath floor drain.
Bill Brown - '77 Buckeye Cruiser
Coshocton OH
carguybill@sbcglobal.net
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