Well, we had our first frost here in the lower mountains of western NC.  I winterized yesterday and wanted to thank everyone for their posts on that subject---yet, another thing that I have learned about from this forum.

So ran the water pump till it was pumping air out all faucets, put antifreeze in the fresh water tank (this was how my manual instructed to do it)ran antifreeze through the system--pink coming out all hot and cold water spigots and toilet and outside spigot-- and poured a little AF in the traps. Drained the waste tanks. I only had one screwup and that was that I forgot to bypass the hot water heater and did run antifreeze through it.  Once I remembered, I did turn the bypass valve, pulled the plug on the hot water heater and drained it and left the plug out like ya'll recommended. I have one question though.  Why was that plug so hard to get out and what did someone mean when they said they "sacrificed the copper rod"?  It looks like the whole thing will just screw back in fine when I am ready to "un-winterize". 

So, woke up this morning to a frost and said "Phew!, glad I did that yesterday!"

If the sacrificial anode rod isn't removed on a regular basis, the dissimilar thread and tank metals will corrode and stick. It should be coated with Teflon tape when the rod is installed, and should not be over tightened. The plug and rod is a singular unit, that is used to protect the tank from the affects of electrolysis. It is constructed of a "softer" material than the tank, and will degrade instead of the tank.

Depending on the amount and quality of water being used, it can last several months or up to several years. When the rod is about 3/4 eroded, it should be replaced. If it is not, your water heater will quickly fail. They are commonly available at any RV dealer or many sources on line, for the Suburban heaters.

Gard

gard, do all hot water heaters have the anode rod? i am winterizing mine for the first time myself

[have had a rv dealer do it since i purchased it 3 years ago.] and yesterday when i unscrewed the plastic plug it didn't have a anode rod in it. 

There are two manufacturers of gas hot water heaters that are commonly used in RV settings; Suburban and Atwood. The Suburban has the combination drain plug and anode, the Atwood has the plastic plug and no anode rod.

As Richard has stated, pipe dope is a good sealant on the plastic plug, and Teflon tape works well on the metal anode. The tape will not prevent the corrosion that commonly causes the plug to stick, but it will seal the threads.

Gard

They are presently trying to make it legal in CA, but that legislation will have little to do with how well your heater works.

Pipe dope is a sealant used to coat the threads of a pipe's thread during assembly. It has the consistency of toothpaste, and will stop the two adjoined pieces from rusting or corroding together, and will act as a sealant to ensure the security of the joint. Because it also acts as a lubricant, it makes the physical assembly easier to effect.

Gard