Any advice? Hot water comes and goes after winterizing problems

[Spartanguy]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Thank you Frank . . . well said.


Spartanguy . . . looks like the ball is in your court IMO.

Do you have a bypass valve, or only the yellow mixing valve recently referred to?

Thanks.

Only the yellow.

[Spartanguy]

Originally Posted by Spartanguy

Only the yellow.

“I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English – it is the modern way and the best way. -Mark Twain

[fran&frank]

The yellow handled valve has to be inline with the pipe for you to use your water heater. The heater is kicking off to soon because you are not filling the hot water heater with water because the yellow handled valve is shut off as shown in your picture. You will damage you water heater if you continue to try and use it with out turning he water supply to it on and letting it fill up.--Frank

[Spartanguy]

Originally Posted by fran&frank

The yellow handled valve has to be inline with the pipe for you to use your water heater. The heater is kicking off to soon because you are not filling the hot water heater with water because the yellow handled valve is shut off as shown in your picture. You will damage you water heater if you continue to try and use it with out turning he water supply to it on and letting it fill up.--Frank

Yes and no. The yellow valve was previously turned inline with the pipe. Trying anything and everything here. Water heater never on without water in it.

[OTRA15]

Thank you for the updates and clarifications.

It is likely that the debris screen -- in your yellow-handled mixing valve -- is clogged with mineral and other deposits IMO. If so, you need to take it all apart and clean that screen. This operation may not be within the scope of your Masters Degree, so paying the going rate may be required IMO.

https://www.google.com/search?q=mixi...=airforums.com

Thank you for the Mark Twain quote. FYI the following PBS special on his remarkable life is free on Amazon Prime through this coming Friday 4/30:

https://www.amazon.com/Episode-2/dp/...9605864&sr=8-2

It may not be available after Friday, unless you have a PBS account. If you are already a Prime member there is a good "trailer" available.

Mark Twain also recommended:

“Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.”

Good luck with the mixing valve.

[majorairhead]

Not trying to be contrary in any way, but that yellow handle valve is clearly identified in my manual as the bypass valve.

[OTRA15]

PS -- Ran out of edit time -- your earlier Mark Twain quote:

Originally Posted by Spartanguy

“I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English – it is the modern way and the best way. -Mark Twain

[RCC]

Originally Posted by Spartanguy

So, I had a bit of a winterizing issue, I posted about it. A PEX clamp burst off under the sink and another near the pump. Paid $175 an hour and a local RV shop got that fixed in two hours. This weekend I went camping (2015 model with the gas and the electric hot water heater, not the instant on). Since the RV shop “dewinterized” for me, they told me they ran air through the lines and got the hot water heater going...but it’s not quite going. Tons of air to release when we turned on the lines and hot water seems to come and go, lasts maybe one minute. Had to use the camp showers this weekend. I drained the water heater because was concerned the shop used the water from the tank with pink stuff in it, but that didn’t seem to resolve. I get about 1 minute or less of very hot sometimes, luke warm sometimes water. Bad thermostat unrelated to my wintering problems? Or any idea of something else that could be going on before I take the AS back to the shop at the $175 rate?

Any input from someone with a similar experience or knowledge would be appreciated. Thanks [emoji120]

It sounds to me like your mixing valve screen is clogged with debris. This is common after de-winterizing. Attached pictures show the mixing valve (an internal valve that meters scalding hot water with some cold water to give you ~140ish degree water at the taps—effectively increasing the amount of hot water available from the small tank) and the separate winterizing bypass valve (yellow) that keeps the water heater from filling with fresh cold water—or antifreeze if winterizing.





Your RV place should be able to clean the screen in an hour or less, for your cost calculations. However, you are likely to have this trouble again. It usually happens when you are camping and someone is wet in the shower[emoji30]. Minimal tools are needed so it is nice to be able to fix it yourself.

To clean the mixing valve screen:
First, take many photos with your phone so you will know how to put it all back! Drain the water from the pipes and water heater and then remove the two pipes entering the mixing valve. Pay close attention to the rubber gaskets and washers in these two joints- they will be loose as the pipes are removed-and if you drop or lose one it will cause a headache, a pain in the buttocks, and of course a bad leak on reassembly. The mixing valve can then be unscrewed from the hot water tank with a pipe wrench or big crescent wrench. It is pretty tight the first time it is removed. The screen’s location is marked in the photo; it is easy to clean once the valve is in your hands. Put pipe thread tape on the threads that go back into the water heater on reassembly.

Fill and drain the water heater a time or two to remove any other debris before running the hot water taps.

Good luck.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Let's back way up ....

First up, you have PEX clamps blown off fittings. The most likely reasons for that to happen are:

1) Very high water pressure (and no regulator / broken regulator on the trailer).

2) Water in those fittings freezing over the winter.

If it's 2 *and* water froze elsewhere in the system, the mixing valve is as likely a target as anything else. It may be broke .... Indeed, it's possible for it to be 1 and 2 since the regulator is a common "freeze damage" item.

Bob

[Sailorjamie]

One more thing to check, just in case. Make sure your outside shower has the two individual, hot and cold, valves shut off.

I had a similar problem (not on my Airstream but with a previous class A) with hot water going luke-warm after just a couple of seconds when I accidentally left both outside faucets on with only the end sprayer turned off. By doing that I had effectively connected my hot and cold water systems through the outdoor spigot. And the way the water pressure in that camper worked I ended up with a few seconds of hot followed by all the luke-warm I wanted.

I embarrassingly called a mobile repair service to my site and only when we went through the whole system together did we discover the cause.

[MRHEAT]

If it’s an Atwood heater they have a mixing valve - it’s at the top of the heater- mines chrome- when I de winterized it i found pressure was not great - I took that valve off and flushed it out and everything was fine afterwards- mine was more of a pressure problem but if the mixer goes bad it will put too much cold water into the hot

[milesinmyles]

I had this problem coming out of winter storage this year on my 2019 Globetrotter. Water would be hot for about 20 seconds and then turn warm. I found many posts about this being the mixing valve or the screen on the mixing valve. It took a 10" adjustable and lot of force but I eventually got it off. I found some junk on the screen, cleaned it and problem solved. I hope this helps.

[airmaine]

Likely the mixing valve either needs to be replaced, or it can be soaked in a mild acidic solution, like vinegar, to remove the precipitate scale from hard water.

[sheriff1]

Originally Posted by airmaine

Likely the mixing valve either needs to be replaced, or it can be soaked in a mild acidic solution, like vinegar, to remove the precipitate scale from hard water.

I have yet to see a mixing valve that needed to be replaced. It’s always been the crud in the screen that easily cleans out.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by Spartanguy

. . .
Looks like the Airstream is headed back to the shop at $175 an hour. Solution could not be resolved based on this post. But, I do appreciate the input.

Any resolution this week?

[Spartanguy]

Final update, I wouldn’t consider this thread my best input, ha ha. Anyway though, I paid another $240 and dropped my AS off at the shop last Monday with the intent to go camping this past weekend (which I did). I explained to them that I had luke warm water, poor water pressure in the shower, and a dripping low drain valve, additionally there was a drip on my water heater drain...I’ve never had a drip or flex tape on it before.

On Thursday at noon I stopped by the shop, the AS was in the same place. They admitted to me that they hadn’t touched it but were pulling it up right then, I told them that at 5:00 I was picking it up because I was going camping so for them to just do what they could. At 5:00 when I picked it up the mechanic explained to me that he also thought my main problem was the mixing valve, he also put nice flex tape around the hot water heater drain and cleaned out my shower head, he said my shower head was very dirty inside. He didn’t touch the low drain drip and said it would probably calcify on its own. This was all he reportedly did.

At 5:15 I contacted the Airstream dealership where I buy parts and was told that because of inventory leaning up related to Covid they have stopped making the Atwood mixing valve that I need for my 2015 model (is this true?) and they tried to sell me an instant on (I don’t want that and the reason might be lame, but I like being able to use electricity when I’ve already paid for it and don’t want an extra non working switch in the bathroom).

This weekend I had perfectly hot shower water and great water pressure. Beats me.

[OTRA15]

Thanks for the update, glad you had a good trip.