2003 Safari SS Hotwater heater not so hot

[brad_casie]

I recently purchased a 2003 25' safari ss , I love it except the hotwater in the shower, the shower gets luke warm at best, the other faucets get much warmer, It is a 6 gallon Atwood, is there something that im missing, ive left in on all night to see if that makes a difference, it didnt at all. I work out of town and am staying in the aistream on the weekends, i would love to take atleast a warm shower, any help would be much appreciated,

ps, this is my first Airstream, and im new to RVing.

Thanks,

Brad

[overlander63]

Okay, you can turn up the temp on the thermostat, that should help. You should have a 6 gallon water heater, I;ve never seen a one gallon one.

[2airishuman]

hi brad and welcome to the forums!

-is the water hot enough at BOTH sinks but not the shower?

if so the mixer is funky in the shower handle...

the owners manual should have all the moen schematics and bits, and the fixture info is online at moen...

usually these moen parts are 'lifetime' warranty.

-what model water heater?

many of the atwoods have a temp adjustment accessible from the outside cover.

there is also a pressure release valve that can leak or be poorly adjusted...

these 2 issues are also IN the owners packet, or online IF you've got the model details.

-is it a dual mode heater (gas and electric) if so do you get the same temp on either/both modes?

-have you pulled the tank plug and flushed it?

this should be done occasionally and may not have ever been done yet....

a lot of crap can collect in the tank and reduce heating efficiency and volume of available water.

cheers

2air'

[brad_casie]

were do i turn up the temp, and it is a 6 gallon, sorry i should proof read my post lol

[brad_casie]

it is a gas only and i bought it 6 months ago and have never flushed the tank, im not sure when it was flushed last. ill have to check that out, im not sure what model just a 6 gallon atwood. The water is warm at both sinks but not the shower.

Thanks everyone for your help

[moosetags]

As 2Air said, it is probably the hot/cold mixer in the shower faucet if the sinks get hot water.

Brian

[brad_casie]

it is a moen faucet, do i take it apart and replace the mixer?

[2airishuman]

well i'd suspect the mixer valve in the shower fixture....

the moen stuff is in the owners manual and on line. they also have an 800# and will help you on the phone and send the parts.

here is the atwood site....

Atwood Mobile Products - Electronic Ignition Water Heaters

service issues, trouble shooting, maintenance and so on....

the 'electric' ignition models don't have the really obvious 'temp' dial that is on the pilot light models...

so it isn't easy/obvious how to just adjust the temp setting on the ignition models.

i'd start with the fixture.

it is very easy to drain, and rinse the tank...

but be sure the water is COLD, COLD, COLD when you do this...

and turn OFF the water pump.

cheers
2air'

[brad_casie]

Thanks for all the help for this newbie, I was forewarned when i bought the Airstream from the couple in napa that the Airstream community is like family and they were right. It is amazing how nice and helpfull you guys and girls are, again i thank you very much.

[overlander63]

If the water coming out of the faucets is good and hot, it probably is the mix valve in the shower faucet. Ours had almost cold water, unless you turned it all the way up, then it would almost scald you.
If the water is merely really warm coming out of the other faucets, you can try turning up the thermostat. It is inside the cover, near the gas control knob. Try turning it up a little bit at a time. If you turn it up too much too fast, it will vent hot water out the relief valve.

[brad_casie]

this morning i turned the shower valve all the way on hot and it was not even close to being scalding temp, i almost froze my butt off lol ill try the valve mixer and hopefully that will solve the problem.

[2airishuman]

it would be nice to have the replacement bits before taking the handle apart.

otoh, it may just be deposits/debris in the mixer valve and cleaning it may be enough.

the moen website has parts by 'model number', so good luck!

Originally Posted by overlander63

...If the water is merely really warm coming out of the other faucets, you can try turning up the thermostat. It is inside the cover, near the gas control knob....

terry have you looked at the electronic ignition models?

they don't have the scored finger knob for temp setting....

and the manual only makes reference to the pressure/temp release valve, no mention of thermostat.

i've looked at mine several times and can't find a temp adjustment.

there are a couple of recessed screw slots, but i think these are for flame and air adjustments...

i'll post a schematic later but IF you know where to adjust these 'non pilot light' models i'd love to know.

here is a pix of mine, till i can scan the schematic. open for a larger view...

cheers
2air'

[5cats]

Here's another thought: maybe the water bypass vales are set oddly? Like it's in some sort of (partial) winterized mode?

Cheers,
-jd.

[JPAIRSTREAM]

Atwood does not put a thermostat on the water heater Airstream installs. There are after market ones that can be installed. I will also agree if the bypass is partly open it will only have a luke warm water at faucets. However I would think that it would be at all faucets.