newbie questions clarification

[C-Rad]

OK. de-winterized my new 2016 Heartland Prowler 26 footer.

i have hose hooked up to city water. flushed all the lines and the low point drain valves. after i did all that i opened up the cold water line into hot water tank and the valve for hot water out.

Question#1. the pipe that connects the blue cold water in and the red hot water out has a valve which i assume is bypass after draining tank and shutting other valves off for winterizing. So does this valve stay open or closed when using the system as normal. When i opened the compartment this valve was open with the blue in valve and red line out valves were closed. So does that valve now have to be closed when the others are open and using system?

Question#2. When using water from the water tank the pump power switch stays on and pump motor should only kick on when you open the faucet right? i havent filled tank to try that yet. from looking at the water lines under the sink where the pump is and the blue line going through the floor to the water tank, it only pulls from the tank with one line. Its under my sink and goes to the cold water line. does this pump pull from that tank and fill all the lines including the hot water tank so i will have hot water also when at a camp site with no water hookup? Sorry if this sounds really dumb but I cant trace every line to visualize it.

Question #3 water pressure at the kitchen faucet is very weak. Bathroom faucet runs strong and the shower is pretty good to. This is the water pressure from my house that seems strong and never had any issues.

Question#4 i have the water heater running off electric right now. how long does it usually take to heat the water up. is LP faster?

Last question. Why the heck did they put the manual override crank for the slide out behind the stairs. No matter how I fold them up the crank has to go in at a slight angle to fit over the hex end of the override. it'll work but tends to sip off. hopefully I wont have t use it.

Sorry for so many questions. I can load up some pics if needed. hopefully my explanations will suffice. I hope

Thanks

 

[danemayer]

Hi C-Rad,

When winterizing, you close the cold water line going into the water heater and close the hot water line coming out, and then open the crossover line so water bypasses the heater. When de-winterizing, you reverse this on all 3 valves. If you don't close the crossover valve, you will get lukewarm water because cold water will cross over and mix with the hot water. You can get more info from our Water Systems Guide, pages 6 and 24. Page 6 will also answer your question about how the water is routed from fresh tank thru the pump and on into the rest of the system.

The water heater should give you hot water in less than an hour. Faster if you turn on both electric and propane together. Just be certain that you actually have water in the water heater tank or you will burn out the electric heating element very quickly.

 

[gasman]

You have one water pump that provides pressurized water to all fixtures including the water heater. The kitchen faucet may have a flow restrictor in it causing it to have less flow than the other fixtures. The electric element is usually faster but as Dan said you can use both to bring a cold tank up to temp quicker.
This forum is designed to answer questions and share ideas. Never hesitate to use it.

 

[C-Rad]

thanks so much. i kinda figured that leaving this valve open would do as you state. Just needed to hear it from someone.

- - - Updated - - -

gasman, thanks but the pump is only used when using the water tank. City water hookup utilizes its own water pressure to do its thing. Got it. thanks again gentlemen.

 

[JohnD]

I generally will hook a fresh water hose to the city water inlet to prime the system . . . ie.- fill the water lines and the hot water heater and to flush out the winter anti freeze.

Then use the water from the fresh water tank!

No sense in filling the fresh water tank, then using a bunch of it to prime the system.

Also, if you look on the lower left corner of your water heater on the outside of your trailer you should see an ON/OFF switch.

Whenever my water heater is empty . . . I make sure to turn that switch to 'OFF'.