Water heater only producing warn water, 90F

I have been RV'ing for 20 years and never thought I could make such a dumb mistake. Hot water tank was leaking at the back where the water outlets are on our 3250 Big country. Turned off the power inside, tightened the connections and stopped the leak. Did a quick pressure test with the outside shower, good to go. Not quite, only had warm water, not hot like before. Tested the element , good. Tested both thermostats and they were good. After much time on the Internet and You Tube, YT have a video titled "don't make this newbie mistake". That was me. Turns out I had left the outdoor shower taps both open, therefor the shower had now become a mixing valve. Closed both taps, water temp suddenly went to 130F.... I noticed a lot of posts about not hot enough water. Maybe someone turned on the outside shower for some reson and never turn the taps off. This would be something to check on your rig

Hi crackerssouth,

Don't feel too bad, a lot of people have been bit by the outside shower.

Back to your original leak. There's a cold water inlet at the bottom of the water heater and a hot water outlet on the top, If the leak was from the top fitting, you may have a cracked check valve. 2011 models used a plastic check valve that develops small cracks that get worse over time. And the older the plastic, the more likely it is to fracture during removal, leaving plastic stuck to the pipe threads.

However, not all rigs have the check valve. Depends on the type of water heater bypass valve(s). If you have a single-handle valve in the UDC, yours has the check valve on the hot water outlet. If you have 3 separate valves for bypass, you probably don't have it.

If your BC has a check valve, I'd suggest you keep an eye out for additional leaking and get a brass check valve to have on hand. When it's convenient you should proactively replace it, even if not leaking. Our owner-written Water Heater Troubleshooting Guide has detailed instructions and pictures showing how to replace it.

You're right about the plastic check valve, tried to remove it and yep it snapped off leaving the threaded part in the hole. A thread remover got it out in about 2 minutes, replaced the check valve with a brass one. Things are good again.

crackerssouth said:

You're right about the plastic check valve, tried to remove it and yep it snapped off leaving the threaded part in the hole. A thread remover got it out in about 2 minutes, replaced the check valve with a brass one. Things are good again.

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Good to hear.