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OTRA15 · 05-26-2017, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovemorels

Attached is pic of lines in and out of water heater. After attaching city water, no leaks under camper and I don't see any water by pump lines, under faucets or by the water heater. (THANK GOSH!)
BUT, I am only getting barely luke water out hot water tap unless I need more than 5min to warm up completely.
My old Lance warmed up real quick. SHOULD of.kept it!

Thanks for this update. The valves look correct to this lay person's eyes.

Stay on city water for the next steps please. Do NOT release air from the pressure relief valve per my last comment.

Yes, please allow more time for the hot water to get truly hot. Your water heater should fire for 30 minutes or so, and then turn off when it reaches the correct temperature. Is the hot water truly hot at that point? If you can measure the temp with a thermometer, that would be good although not necessary. The water should be hotter than you can touch comfortably with your hands IMO.

Please report. On city water, does the hot water get so hot you can't touch it comfortably?

Thanks,

Peter

rmkrum · 05-26-2017, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OTRA15

This is not the correct way to ensure a proper head of air in the water heater IMO. Simply filling the water heater with cold water, and opening a hot faucet until no air comes out, is the right way. There should be a certain volume of air at the top of the heater, which is trapped there to provide a compressible air cushion for when the water heats up.

Releasing that trapped air prematurely -- by opening the pressure relief valve per above -- guarantees that the valve WILL release when the heater is full of very hot water, to be sprayed all over the compartment. Not the right way . . .

. . . and dangerous to a small degree . . .

Good point, and now that I think about it more, absolutely correct---just a small part of why I got rid of the old Atwood and went to a tankless, with an accumulator tank elsewhere for maintaining the air bubble...

OTRA15 · 05-26-2017, 03:29 PM

Thanks for the confirmation.

Here is the manual for the unit in question I believe:

https://www.airstream.com/wp-content...Sport_2015.pdf

On p. 5-16 is the water heater but there is no mention of a mixing valve, although there could still be one IMO. [PDF p. 47/94]

lovemorels you should read this part of the manual probably, and any mfg. literature pamphlets which came with your AS, as they might mention the mixing valve.

rmkrum · 05-26-2017, 03:49 PM

I'm aware that some Atwood 6 gallon water heaters have mix valves, but the one I pulled off my 2007 International did not have one that I could see.

Don't know what one looks like, but the pictures above seem to indicate direct connections to the tank for supply and hot water output...which may just mean the water needs more time to get sufficiently hot.

The noise of the water heating just a foot or so from my head (unit was in closet next to front bed) was one of the reasons I got rid of a perfectly good water heater...rumbled way too much when heating. The tankless (PrecsionTemp 500 series) was basically silent unless someone is using hot water...

OTRA15 · 05-26-2017, 03:52 PM

We turn our water heater off at night for that reason. It is such a quick recovery system, and well insulated, that you can have shower-warm water in about 10 minutes except in really cold weather.

rmkrum · 05-26-2017, 03:56 PM

Main reason for going tankless is that Dear Wife and Charming Daughter both like long hot showers--and 6 gallons was not quite enough.

Now its three showers for all of us in quick succession, and never run out of hot water. Then dry off the wet bath just one time...

Lack of outraged squawking about running out of hot water is priceless...the unit paid for itself the first trip we had it...and I don't think it really burns all that much more propane.

OTRA15 · 05-26-2017, 03:59 PM

What a tankless lot!

OTRA15 · 05-27-2017, 02:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovemorels

. . .
BUT, I am only getting barely luke water out hot water tap unless I need more than 5min to warm up completely.
. . .

Apologies for the recent digression about tank-less water heaters!

Have you been able to get hot water while using the city water supply? And does your Atwood user manual say anything about a mixing valve?

Thanks,

Peter

OTRA15 · 05-30-2017, 04:31 AM

Did you get this figured out? Thanks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovemorels

Attached is pic of lines in and out of water heater. After attaching city water, no leaks under camper and I don't see any water by pump lines, under faucets or by the water heater. (THANK GOSH!)
BUT, I am only getting barely luke water out hot water tap unless I need more than 5min to warm up completely.
My old Lance warmed up real quick. SHOULD of.kept it!

TG Twinkie · 05-30-2017, 11:50 PM

Sounds to me like the pump is sucking air.
Is there a winterizing system? Maybe I asked this before.
The pump is marked inlet and outlet.
If it is convenient. Remove the inlet hose, then connect a hose long enough to reach into a gallon jug. With the jug full of water turn on the pump. The pump should start drawing water almost immediately from the jug.
Open the nearest faucet, keep refilling the jug before the level drops below the end of the hose and it starts to suck air.
This simple test will tell you if the pump and down stream line is OK.
If so you need to determine where air is getting in on the inlet lines to the pump from the tank.
You are sure the tank has water. Correct?

lovemorels · 06-15-2017, 07:04 AM

Ok, my apologies on the absent posts as I was overloaded with a family wedding. In which I did take the camper but stayed at a place with city water. We all had hot showers. Update to what I did. I first checked to see if the "o" ring was on at the filter site by the pump. Yes, it was. I was going to try the test with the water bucket and hose when I first took off the section of hose from the intake through the section that included the water filter and then reconnected it to the pump without the filter. OMG....I was able to get a good steady stream of water out of all the faucets, hot and cold!!!! And was able to get hot water. BUT, there is a quirky thing to figure out. The water works beautifully with the pump at the galley kitchen sink.ONLY when I run the water in the bathroom faucets does the pump make a funny sound of like ta dump 2x every 10-15 seconds. The water is still flowing nicely and hot??? I am planning on taking the filter section in to a dealer to see if the can test were the leak may be coming from, unless someone has a way to tell me how to do this. THANKS!!!!

OTRA15 · 06-18-2017, 04:58 AM

Thanks for the update, and yes a "quirky" situation IMO.

Just a guess, but maybe you are still getting air in the line between the water tank and the pump? I would double check all hoses, connections, O-rings and so forth. Maybe get a new filter assembly?

Are you sure there are no leaks in the plumbing system?

Good luck!]

Peter

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovemorels

Ok, my apologies on the absent posts as I was overloaded with a family wedding.
. . .

TG Twinkie · 06-18-2017, 07:09 AM

With the bath faucet being smaller than the galley faucet. It may not handle the volume of the pump. Check the screen in the bath faucet.
I would bet that if you close down the galley faucet restricting the flow you will see that the pump cycles on and off just like the bath faucet.
This is normal. Replacing the filter should be the only thing you have to do.