No Water through HOT water faucet, Cold water is fine

[Davesig]

Hello everyone, I need some assistance.

I have read through many posts in this forum regarding this issue but still have a couple questions I hope you can help me with.

First, my situation... I have a 2017 Cyclone 4114 with an Atwood 10 Gal hot water heater (Model GC10A-4E). I have an Anderson 4-way Valve and a Hot Water By-Pass Valve. I'm hooked up to city water and all valves are in the correct position. (Pics attached)



The issue...hot water runs fine, good and hot, good flow, then all of a sudden next time nothing. No flow through the hot water faucet. Cold water runs great. Turn it on and off a couple times (or wait a couple minutes and turn it on) and you hear a clunk sound and hot water runs freely. Also, hot water stops at all faucets, not just one or two.

I have read many posts that refer to a check valve on the hot water tank output, so I went out to look at that. Well, what I see is that there isn't one on the tank. I saw a small black plastic tube inline on the hot water output (pic attached). Could that be it? I can't think of anything else it could be. There is nothing else in line.



Any assistance or other ideas would be greatly appreciated. I want to figure this out before it becomes a permanent issue rather than an intermittent one.

Thanks

 

[danemayer]

I think this is the check valve, circled in yellow. The black fitting may just be a way to transition from Pex to the flex hose.

You might try giving it a smack when the hot water stops flowing, to see if it starts working. That might be a good confirmation before taking things apart.

 

[Davesig]

Thanks Danemayer, I'll have to give it a try next time it decides to just quit again. Maybe I'll be able to feel it when it pops back on again because we can hear the clunk pretty good up in the bathroom.

 

[Davesig]

UPDATE TO SITUATION:

Well it's happening still. I went and bought two new check valves to replace on both the cold water intake and hot water output. I disconnected the hoses and found the "check valves" to be glued in place. So I though, let me check out the valves quickly before trying to force them out. Come to find out, they're not check valves at all. They are simply pipe adapters. male-to-male adapter for the hose to the tank, there is nothing inside them at all. My screwdriver passed right through with no obstruction at all. So, I hooked everything back up again. Issue is still intermittently happening. You can hear a fairly loud clunk sound when the just before the hot water starts to run. Something opening, something switching on??? The sound comes from the area of the hot water heater.

Is there another location that a check valve may be?
Is there a separate water pump in the water heater that runs with city water?

Any other suggestions of what it could be?

Thanks, David

 

[h2oskierc]

Could it be the thermal cutoff not making complete contact? Happening or work sometimes but not all the time?

I know almost nothing about these, but taking a shot.


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[SNOKING]

Could it be the thermal cutoff not making complete contact? Happening or work sometimes but not all the time?

I know almost nothing about these, but taking a shot.


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Found it! It is the black plastic piece past the red hose. Chris

 

[JohnDar]

Toss it and get a brass one.


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[Davesig]

Found it! It is the black plastic piece past the red hose. Chris

Thank you. I will have to check that out. Hopefully that's it and I can get this issue solved. Gotta keep the wife happy.

 

[wdk450]

Found it! It is the black plastic piece past the red hose. Chris

Did the check valve have foreign debris in it?

Next time you are attacking this problem it might be time for a hot water heater flush-out, just to make sure there is no foreign debris in the heater. Calcium deposits are common and I clean out my system yearly (along with using an electronic de-scaler endorsed by Mike Holmes on the trailer incoming fresh water). With so much debris left in the trailers routinely during assembly there could be construction debris in the hot water system. You will need some large sockets the size of the heater element and sacrificial anode, along with a flusher hose adapter.

See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILZjQ6f0LFA

 

[Davesig]

Finally got back inside the underbelly, been on the road moving a bit lately. Yes the check valve (cheap black plastic piece) did have some calcium rocks inside, probably from the last flush I did. Knocked the rocks out and it seems to be operating freely at this time. I put it back in for now, going to go buy a replacement brass valve. Hopefully that's all it was.

I just recently flushed my tank and it had quite a bit of calcium in it, so I'm sure some probably got up in the line to the valve. Newer model tank, so no sacrificial anode rod.

Thank you everyone for your input. Hopefully this question is closed.