Suburban Water Heater tank cleaning - Clear silicon-like substance

[Mike Tomas]

So we are doing our first water heater purge and clean since we got our coach, and the annode rod was about 1/2 way eaten, but the annode drain was covered with (what we thought was) the usual white calcium buildup practically to the annode rod. Making it seem like it was really caked with calcium inside.

When we started using the yellow wand to spray the inside walls, what was expected to be hard calcium chunks (or rocks of calcium) were actually this white translucent, almost like wet clear silicon. That's what we got out. I thought this squishy milky white substance was odd.

Now: we have been having the hot water smell pretty bad the last couple times out, and we did a fresh water clean with bleach (what was it? 1 cup for 4.5 gal twice and fill the FW tank full with water) and then ran all Fawcetts until we faintly smelled bleach and let it sit overnight. We then used the main FW purge valve from the tank to drain the system, filled up and drained again. We did that clean almost 3 months ago.

This coach is in pristine condition, and I think the manual had suggested to use baking soda for cleaning the Suburban tank, which may have been what the previous owner used, but when we added the bleach water, I compleately forgot about it getting into the hot water tank.

Maybe this weird milky substance is caued by leftover baking soda and bleach?

Has anyone ever seen some weird squishy milky substance come from inside the hot water tank? They look like calcium chunks, but more translucent and squishy when pressed between fingers.

[Joel Ashley]

Our home natural gas hot water tank did that.  The semi-soft white “flakes” first showed up as a faucet flow restriction.  They were revealed when I unscrewed the faucet end screens to investigate.  Since they were in all faucet screens including the new washing machine’s, I initially asked our water dept. about it.  They reported no such problem with their system, which narrowed it to our heater.  Draining it exposed tons of the small white flakes.

Eventually the problem came down to a recall of the water heater some 8 years before due to deterioration of some internal component.  Unfortunately the recall had expired and despite us never having been notified, the manufacturer refused our belated claim.  I can’t recall the exact internal part, a liner, tube, or rod, but the material used was faulty.  We still have the unit as it is larger than most and expensive, and the flaking isn’t nearly as bad as it initially was;  screens and filters stop any flakes, and if I notice a reduction in flow I simply remove and backrinse the screen.  The washer’s is a bit harder to get at and remove, but I routinely clean its two hose screens during annual washer/dryer service anyway.

I’d check the Suburban website for a recall, but if it’s 18 years old that’s unlikely to be fruitful beyond any insight it might provide.  Beyond the anode rod disintegration, depending on composition the culprit might be the tank liner.  A respected local plumber in our locale suspected the dip tube in our home water heater, and gave us a new flexible plastic one to replace it, which I’ve yet to do.  If the dip tube has flaked away, it’s efficiency is shot and it’s my bad for procrastinating.  Your Suburban I don’t think has a dip tube though.

After a bleach treatment in the coach, I always add, let stand, and flush baking soda to clear the system of bleach odor.  But flaking has never been a consequence.

Ultimately your optimal fix may be a new unit.  Sans a dip tube in your RV one, I still had to at least proffer up that the debris I had met your exact description to a tee. 

Joel

[Gerald Farris]

Mike,
The deposit that you described is fairly common in your water heater. I think that the deposits are a combination of minerals from the water (mostly calcium), and residue from the sacrificial magnesium anode rod that is used in Seaward heaters to protect the aluminum tank.   

Your water is not a Suburban water heater, but it is a 6 gallon Seaward Marine water heater that has a 120 volt element as well as a heat exchanger loop to allow your Hurricane or coach engine to also heat your water when driving or when the Hurricane is running and shore power is not available.

Gerald

[Mike Tomas]

Gerald, you are absolutely right about it being a Seaward Marine water heater. I was caught off guard with the spongy stuff because it wasn't what I was expecting at all. Hopefully another clense will do some good.

Thanks again Gerald for your quick reply.