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Old 10-19-2017, 05:11 PM   #1
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2010 30' Flying Cloud
De Pere , Wisconsin
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 26
Help with 2010 FC 30 please - WH bypass doesnt work?!

First time attempting to winterize flying cloud 30 rb. I've had many rv's - first AS.

Will describe what I did and what went wrong.

Opened low point drains, opened pressure relief valve on WH, then pulled plu on WH and it drained successfully. Attached a hose to the inlet for the water pump just before the strainer and turned the bypass on WH (only 1 lever on this model) and then closed the 2 low point drains. Started pump expecting to probably get close to a gallon of antifreeze in before the water lines were charged. 2nd gallon ready and waiting. 1st gallon gone, second gallon getting there and I'm getting confused! My wife then states it looks like antifreeze is coming out of the water heater......this is where the twighlight zone is entered! The bypass is allowing antifreeze to get into the water heater it appears. For grins and because the water heater already has antifreeze in it I decide to open the bypass valve and I get the same result!

So what in the world am I doing wrong?! It actually appears that antifreeze is not going into the water heater from the bottom inlet on the WH but is making throught the WH outlet perhaps?

Any ideas are much appreciated! 5 hours of head scratching and hand wringing have me on edge. I've winterized rv's a few dozen times with only one snafu I can remember and that when I sent a gallon right down the low point drains I left open.

The Airstream manual is useless as it doesn't show an FC 30...
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Old 10-19-2017, 05:38 PM   #2
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2002 30' Classic S/O
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I looked at the manual for your trailer on line and there is one bypass valve, but there are also cold and hot water shutoff valves for the water heater. Those must be closed and the bypass valve opened. If the other two are left open, water (and antifreeze) will flow into the heater.

The aluminum tank of the heater is clad with something. I think I'd flush the antifreeze out of it before storing for the winter. Atwood's manual says it is OK to leave a few inches of plain water in the tank.

Al
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Old 10-19-2017, 05:57 PM   #3
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2010 30' Flying Cloud
De Pere , Wisconsin
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Al and Missy View Post
I looked at the manual for your trailer on line and there is one bypass valve, but there are also cold and hot water shutoff valves for the water heater. Those must be closed and the bypass valve opened. If the other two are left open, water (and antifreeze) will flow into the heater.

The aluminum tank of the heater is clad with something. I think I'd flush the antifreeze out of it before storing for the winter. Atwood's manual says it is OK to leave a few inches of plain water in the tank.

Al

Can you post a link? The only thing I can find states only the one bypass valve - and there is only one valve...I stared at the stupid thing for hours

I would love to see where these other valves are - I did find mine online and it looks just like what I have and makes no mention of there being any other valves.
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Old 10-19-2017, 06:01 PM   #4
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https://www.airstream.com/wp-content...gcloud2010.pdf

Page F-11

Al
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Old 10-19-2017, 06:17 PM   #5
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2010 30' Flying Cloud
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Al and Missy View Post

Mine looks like this (page F-12) https://www.airstream.com/wp-content...gcloud2011.pdf

This is from the 2011 model...mine must have been a late model 2010 or something. Notice the one valve...which doesn't seem work on my unit somehow?
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Old 10-19-2017, 06:28 PM   #6
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I saw an actual plumbing diagram for a similar setup. That valve is called a bypass valve, but is actually a cold water inlet shutoff for the heater. Note that it is closed for winterizing and open for normal operation.

If I remember correctly, the procedure only mentioned blowing the lines out with air and did not mention antifreeze.

With the faucets open, antifreeze can flow across from the cold side to the hot side and then into the heater. It might slow or stop it to replace the drain and close the pressure release, but with the single "bypass" valve antifreeze is free to flow into the heater.

Al
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Old 10-20-2017, 06:02 PM   #7
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Are you absolutely certain you were pumping into the the water pump INlet? (MY first winterization on a 2010 FC 23FB took nearly 8 gallons of antifreeze, and a lot of head scratching before I figured that out.) Not doubting you... ahmjusayin.
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Old 10-20-2017, 07:55 PM   #8
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2015 30' FB FC Bunk
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My water heater has 2 valves. I thought I was opening the bypass and it was some sort of drain. Maybe look for another valve.
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Old 10-21-2017, 07:53 AM   #9
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2010 30' Flying Cloud
De Pere , Wisconsin
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I am starting to make sense of things - the water heater is an Atwood XT with a mixing valve and single bypass lever just like this http://www.adventurerv.net/atwood-wa...source=Froogle

This water heater is subject to having issues with mineral deposits and scaling due to the valves in the mixer from what I have read. It seems as if the one way "out" valve must be stuck "open" allowing some of the antifreeze to make its way into the tank. It took about four gallons of antifreeze to winterize vs the expected two - so I didn't actually fill the whole tank, but its not right regardless. I went and picked up a couple pieces of hose and fitings and bypassed the whole deal and everything worked fine which verifies the valve is bad - weird design no doubt!
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Old 10-29-2017, 02:04 PM   #10
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2014 27' FB Eddie Bauer
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2wiresdave
I just had a similar experience this afternoon and came on the forum to ask and was, like, wow, look, here's someone asking the same question a week ago. Ours is a 2014 27FB. Sounds like it is set up like yours. One brass yellow handle valve to close the WH tank inlet. One valve below it leading to a drain under the trailer on curb-side.
When we came to load the system with antifreeze we had hardly any flow on the hot water side. I said to dad - why does it sound like we're filling the hot water tank? 'Cause you are. No. I closed the valve. So I pulled the heater plug (and got a face-full of antifreeze - ugh) and drained it again. Double checked the valve. Tried again. Same deal. Traced the plumbing and came to the same conclusion - the check valve at the tank outlet must be NFG. Added to the punch list when we stop at Can-am in a few weeks when we start south.
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