No pressure on hotwater line after de winterizing

cdngirl

Member
Sorry I do not know how to delete the thread.
 

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danemayer

Well-known member
Hi cdmgirl,

your picture shows the water heater bypass, but your description sounds like the valve for the antifreeze suction line is still open, allowing the pump to suck in air instead of water from the fresh tank.
 

cookie

Administrator
Staff member
If you open the bypass valve will you get water from the faucet?

Peace
Dave
 

cdngirl

Member
Yes and the pump kicks in but as soon as he turns it to the off position it eventually drains the hotwater line and the pump wont kick in.

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Would that effect the cold as well? Our pump will kick in when we run the cold.
 

travelin2

Pennsylvania Chapter Leaders-retired
Are you sure there is water in the hot water tank. It won't fill unless the bypass valve is set to "normal".

Sorry but I see you don't have the Anderson valve like I do but the question still stands.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

cookie

Administrator
Staff member
If when the bypass is open water flows from the faucet I would suspect that the check valve on the water heater may need replacement.
As others have suggested, make sure all other valves are set to normal.

Peace
Dave
 

cdngirl

Member
Yes but as soon as we close it the hotwater line will empty and the pump won't kick in. The cold works fine with the bypass closed and will kick in.

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My husband has bled the hotwater tank and there is water in it.

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We are trying to locate the check valve but so far he cannot find it.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
With a 3 valve bypass system, you may not have a check valve on the hot water outlet on the water heater. So if you didn't fill the water heater tank, when you close the bypass, the water in the hot lines would drain back into the water heater tank.

With the bypass closed, and the faucet open, the pump would be trying to fill the hot water tank. Until it's full, all you'll get is air.

If that's what's going on and you've had the electric heating element turned on with an empty tank, you may have burned out the heating element. So don't be surprised if water starts coming out of the faucet but never gets hot.
 

cdngirl

Member
He says he filled all the lines in the camper before filling the hot water tank and bled the air. Then he opened the water into the hotwater tank and filled the tank with the pressure relief valve open until he got a steady stream.

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We haven't fired up any heat until we get the pressure sorted out.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
So to review:

1. There's water in the water heater tank.
2. There's water in the fresh tank
3. If the water heater bypass is OPEN, and a HOT faucet is opened, water comes out the faucet.
4. If the water heater bypass is CLOSED, and a HOT faucet is opened, no water comes out the faucet.
5. If the water heater bypass is CLOSED, and a COLD faucet is opened, water comes out the faucet.
6. The antifreeze suction line valve is closed.
7. When the pump is on and the water heater pressure relief valve is open on the outside, water comes out.

The fact that water comes out the cold faucets but not the hot suggests that water is not getting out of the water heater. If everything you've reported is accurate, I'd guess there's a problem with the valve on the water heater outlet, or if there's a check valve, as Dave suggested, a problem with that check valve.
 

cdngirl

Member
Yes to everything. My husband says there is no check valve in the line going from the tank to the hot water line. I am not sure what other valve you are talking about.
 

jasonf

Member
Had a similar issue in our '09 North Trail.

Brought out the camper for the first 2016 trip and "de winterized" things including returning the water heater valves to normal, non-bypassed, operation. Quickly discovered that no water whatsoever was coming out of the hot water faucets anywhere onboard unless the water heater bypass valve was open.

Turns out the water lines into the water heater were in fact closed, despite the plastic valve handles (on brass valves) showing open (in line with pipe.) I removed the plastic valve handles w a small Phillips screwdriver and was able to open the valves with needle nose pliers. The inner portion of the plastic valve handles were wallowed out where they connect with the brass, allowing the valve handles to rotate without affecting the valve position.
 
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