1992 Conquest Water Heater Question

[Tashe]

I've recently purchased a 1992 29 ft Gulfstream Conquest RV, M-6290 Ford Limited edition.

I'm in the process of doing some routine maintenance on the RV and I've found that the water heater has no brand labels left on it, and there are no references to the brand in any of the service manuals I have. In fact there are no references to servicing the water heater at all. So I can only guess the brand, and I'm guessing it's a Suburban, probably a 6 gal tank judging by the measurements. The tank is steel - it's magnetic.

My problem is that there doesn't seem to be an anode rod port on the front of the tank, just something with a 9/16 inch head that looks more like a drain plug. It's pretty rusted up so I haven't yet tried to remove it without being sure what I'm getting into.

On the back of the tank, inside the RV, behind the lower kitchen drawers, I found what looks like an anode rod end, except that it's maybe 3.5 inches down from the top of the tank -- not where I'd expect an anode rod to be.
It has a 1-1/16 inch head, but it's also very rusted, so once again I don't want to mess with it until I'm sure what I'm dealing with.

Could this be the anode rod, on the back of the tank, barricaded inside the kitchen cabinets? If so, who thought that was a good idea, and how do you get to it to work on it, especially if the thing is rusted up and you need to apply some leverage to remove it?

Has anyone dealt with this?

I'd really appreciate some info and suggestions. The last thing I want to do is make a mess that I can't reverse.

Thanks,

 

[Leisure Time Larry]

It seems like you've done a pretty good job of guessing the answers to your own questions. I too, would think your guesses are correct. It is probably just a 30 year old model, and that's how they came back then. In my 2005, the Suburban WH is a steel tank with an anode rod that has a 1-1/16" hex head. It doubles as the drain plug though, and it is accessible from the outside.

Now, what do you do? Good question.

1. Start squirting those rusty joints with penetrating oil. Spray, let sit for hours to days, repeat. I might try to get the drain plug to come out first. Using a breaker bar and a six point socket, rock it back and forth little by little to see if it'll break free. If I could get that out, I might get an inspection camera inside to inspect the condition of the steel tank and anode rod. Is it rusty or corroded in there? Is there water in there? How much? Is there any damage from freezing? If it looks bad, then you might choose to just replace it with a new or used (but newer) unit. If it doesn't look bad, then how to proceed.

2. It seems to attack the anode rod, you'd need to get a bunch of extension(s) to try to get it to move and come out if you choose to leave it installed. Otherwise, you could pull the WH out of the coach and deal with it without obstacles.

I would try to see if YouTube has anything that might help first.

Best of luck.

 

[Tashe]

Hi,

Thanks for replying. I really appreciate it.

The water heater works very well, as does the electric ignitor, thermostat, etc. I'm not seeing any discoloration in the hot water coming from the taps, which I hope is a good sign.

The method you suggested is pretty much what I was thinking: soak the threads with some PB Blaster and then see about working the plug loose. The plug can be a trial run for the anode. I have breaker bars, etc, but I'm restraining myself from using a pretty serious industrial strength 1/2 inch impact wrench. I could most likely persuade the plug or anode to move if I use it, but I could possibly do some serious damage to a perfectly functional water heater, so maybe the impact wrench is overkill.

 

[Bike Dr]

Hello, all great info.. and just to say the impact may help you are correct..just don't go crazy, it sounds as if you have what it takes for sure. I've used them many times and it will remove the anode. Don't let it scare you. I deal with them everyday..

LIFE IS GOOD!!!! LIVING IT!!!!

2005 41'4 Atrium 8410 SE CAT
2017 20' weller's closed trailer
2014 Streetglide Special
2010 Mini Cooper

 

[Tashe]

Hi,

Thanks for your input about the impact wrench. I would have been tempted to play it safe, and would most likely have made a lot more work for myself if you hadn't told me to go for it. I appreciate that.

 

[FreedMeister]

The suburban drain plug is the anode port, as mentioned above. I have purchased a Multipack thru Amazon and just keep the extras in the water heater compartment. Our heater is kept empty when the rig is not in use, so the anode life varies a lot based on water quality and usage. Always good to have a spare.

 

[Tashe]

Hi,
Thanks for replying.

The drain plug is on the outside, below the pressure relief valve. The plug has a 9/16 inch head. The thread that's showing behind the head is 1/2 inch diameter. Which would most likely mean that any anode rod there would be a fair bit smaller than 1/2 inch diameter.
Before I asked my original question I had read something about older Suburban tanks having an external drain and an internal anode access, rather than a combined drain/anode port. The combined port is all I'd ever seen, so I figured I'd ask for some input before I did something I might wind up regretting.