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Topic: No hot water flow after de-winterizing (Read 497 times) previous topic - next topic
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No hot water flow after de-winterizing
Greetings, I am stumped by this one.

After de-winterizing, I had no water flow at all through my hot water lines, but good flow through cold.

Eventually came to back of water heater, looking for a defective check valve. This rig has a hot water bypass kit installed. I disconnected the hot water feed at top of tank, left side of bypass valve. Released the valve briefly and had good flow. The grey plastic union (top left) I thought might be a check valve, but it had no innards, no valve inside, and was clear with no obstructions. I put it all back together and Lo! Water is now flowing. Lots of air in line, bleeding it out now.

Question:  Does the LD hot water heater have a check valve?  Where is it located?

Could air in the line or hot water heater cause hot water flow to stop completely?

I'm an experienced RVer but this is my first LD, so please forgive if this is a dumb question.  I have searched the forum but unable to find answers on this.  Thanks,

Bart
2007 Mid Bath
Re: No hot water flow after de-winterizing
Reply #1 –
OK, I'm not certain about any of this. But yes, I believe that LD installs a check valve to keep hot water pressure from flowing back into the water heater's cold water supply line. I believe that in the past I located mine down in the kitchen cabinetry (perhaps accessed through the screen that hides the electric power converter) and that it was jammed, probably by some sort of calcification. I managed to get it to operate again and then later had it changed by LD at the factory. It was a simple plastic spring loaded unit, the spring allowing flow toward the water heater but closing if flow is in the other direction, say due to the rise in pressure in the water heater as water is warmed. I believe it jammed open.

I recently had the same problem as you after dewinterizing, but only the bath faucet flow was affected, which to me meant something wrong at that location. I've never liked that faucet so my plan is to replace it soon, along with the kitchen faucet which has a slight leak. Some searching in the LD Companion (accessed from the home page of this Owner's Group site) tipped me off to the fact that deposits from the water heater could flow to the faucet and compromise its flow.

So my plan is to first clean out the water heater with one of those water wands designed for that, to get rid of whatever accumulations of sediment are in there. Then I will install the new faucets after running clean water through those hot water lines to remove any deposits that might have entered them.

We don't normally winterize our motorhome as it is stored in a garage. But I did this year because I took it in for some service work during our cold winter here. I also don't routinely clean out the water heater, which hasn't caused problems in the past, I suspect because any sediment remains undisturbed and doesn't leave the tank, so this year when I emptied the water heater as part of winterizing and then later refilled it and then opened the faucets to clear the water lines of air the accumulated sediment was likely stirred up and some flowed to the bath faucet and clogged it up.

Good luck with your problem.
Terry
2003 26.5'RB
Gardnerville, NV
Re: No hot water flow after de-winterizing
Reply #2 –
Thanks Terry.

Today I flushed the HW tank and ran water again...... no flow at all at bathroom sink. I removed the screen at faucet and yes indeed, it was clogged with a tiny bit of calcium crud. Cleaned this out and it works fine. This was an easy fix.

I am going to flush my HW heater a couple of more times, and remove screens from faucets when first running the water so any calc crud goes down the drain.

The previous owner just had a plug on the hot water drain. I will replace this with a cathode plug that should help reduce the mineral deposits in the tank.

Still unsure where the HW check valve is located. The LD owners manual doesn't seem to cover this.

Bart
2007 Mid Bath
Re: No hot water flow after de-winterizing
Reply #3 –
For what it's worth, I posted a tutorial on fixing a mineral-clogged bathroom faucet awhile back.
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: No hot water flow after de-winterizing
Reply #4 –
I believe I've read that you shouldn't use an anode in an aluminum Atwood water heater such as in our Lazy Daze motorhomes. You might want to look into that.
Terry
2003 26.5'RB
Gardnerville, NV
Re: No hot water flow after de-winterizing
Reply #5 –
The aluminum tank doesn't use an anode, I would also use a plastic plug in the drain. My check valve is on a fitting at the water heater. It's brass and looks a lot like a brass coupling. I personally think yours has been removed because it makes the bypass install a little easier. Are both of your bypass valves flowing in the correct direction? Has the tank had a chance to completely fill?

Jon
1994 MB
Re: No hot water flow after de-winterizing
Reply #7 –
Would I be better changing the HW drain plug with another plastic one or putting in a brass drain valve like I had in my old LD?
George & Jo Ann
2017 MB
 
Re: No hot water flow after de-winterizing
Reply #8 –
The dissimilar metals between aluminum and bass can sometimes be interesting to break loose when it's time to pull the plug.
I helped my son replace his leaking tank last summer, the brass fittings were a real bear to remove. Plastic, no problem. He bought the plugs and wrench from Amazon the wrench was nothing to impress.

Jon
1994 MB