Water heater mystery—2018 International

[FilmGuy]

We have a 2018 23fb International Serenity with a mystery water heater problem. (Atkinson electric/propane WH.) The water heater fires up and to all appearances heats up. But we’re not getting hot water out of the faucets. It seems to start to get a bit warm, but then cools again.

The winterize valve is not in the winterize position. It tested fine a month ago when I did a spring re-check of everything, though I did not run it very long when I tested it.

Any idea what might be going on? The only thing I can think of is that the winterizing valve is not working properly, so the WH is really being bypassed, but that really doesn’t seem likely to me.

The propane burner ignites, and after a bit the exterior of the WH gets warm to the touch, so I don’t think the problem is the WH itself.

[pcskier]

Mixing valve could be clogged
which is common. You can remove it to clean the screen and soak in CLR or vinegar. It is located near the bypass valve.

[ZOZ]

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f44...ve-177432.html




zoz

[FilmGuy]

Originally Posted by pcskier

Mixing valve could be clogged
which is common. You can remove it to clean the screen and soak in CLR or vinegar. It is located near the bypass valve.

Originally Posted by ZOZ

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f44...ve-177432.html

zoz

Thanks, guys. That looks like the culprit. Given the amount of trouble it seems to cause, it seems to be a less-than-helpful solution to its intended problem.

[pcskier]

Originally Posted by FilmGuy

Thanks, guys. That looks like the culprit. Given the amount of trouble it seems to cause, it seems to be a less-than-helpful solution to its intended problem.

Have you tried in both electric and gas modes? If only electric, outside chance a bad element. It’s worth a test on gas to make sure. You also can CAREFULLY pop the pressure relief valve to see if very hot water comes out. Standing well to the side and wearing f gloves. This will prove that the water in the tank is being fully heated or not.


I have never had a problem in five years, including the past three full time with the heater on electric mode 24/7. So who knows, water is hard here as well. Though I’m sure i have now jinxed myself.

[Ron Glow]

Originally Posted by FilmGuy

We have a 2018 23fb International Serenity with a mystery water heater problem. (Atkinson electric/propane WH.) The water heater fires up and to all appearances heats up. But we’re not getting hot water out of the faucets. It seems to start to get a bit warm, but then cools again.

The winterize valve is not in the winterize position. It tested fine a month ago when I did a spring re-check of everything, though I did not run it very long when I tested it.

Any idea what might be going on? The only thing I can think of is that the winterizing valve is not working properly, so the WH is really being bypassed, but that really doesn’t seem likely to me.

The propane burner ignites, and after a bit the exterior of the WH gets warm to the touch, so I don’t think the problem is the WH itself.

In my experience, I have removed the mixing valve to clean it and also tried “tapping it” with a plastic hammer without removing. That may jar some buildup loose from the screen inside the valve. Usually you also will have lower water pressure if the screen is clogged, since it is reducing overall flow. Please use restraint if “tapping”. Others may object, but it does work sometimes.
Ron

[WhatNext]

A problem I had was my propane hot water heater output temperature started dropping from the setpoint. The hot water heater was firing up and the water flow was normal but the output temp kept dropping a couple degrees over a few days of use. The stove and furnace were working normally.

After much anguish (I'll spare the details), I played with the small set screw on regulator for the propane tanks, opening it a fraction and Viola/back to normal!

[coerector]

Has anyone tried using a slightly coarser screen or leaving the screen out entirely from the mixing valve? It might involve cleaning the screens at the faucet heads more often but that is easier.

[stwaller]

Exact same trailer. Had this same problem when we got to our campsite in Smokies NP. I knew heater worked, as I tried it at home, but as we tried it in Elkmount, had the slightly warm, then cold issue as described above.
After suffering a week with this, returned home, did a little research on this forum , and felt it must be that the screen on the anti-scald valve pictured above in this thread must be the problem.
Unhooked the lines from it, and with difficulty unscrewed the valve & fitting from the tank. (Fitting going into tank was very, very tight)
Upon removal, could clearly see crystals clogging the screen. Cleaned it & valve, reassembled everything & tested, working perfectly again.
I cannot prove it, but I believe my cleaning out the fresh water system might have broken loose the crystals from inside the tank causing the clog.

[pcskier]

Originally Posted by stwaller

Exact same trailer. Had this same problem when we got to our campsite in Smokies NP. I knew heater worked, as I tried it at home, but as we tried it in Elkmount, had the slightly warm, then cold issue as described above.
After suffering a week with this, returned home, did a little research on this forum , and felt it must be that the screen on the anti-scald valve pictured above in this thread must be the problem.
Unhooked the lines from it, and with difficulty unscrewed the valve & fitting from the tank. (Fitting going into tank was very, very tight)
Upon removal, could clearly see crystals clogging the screen. Cleaned it & valve, reassembled everything & tested, working perfectly again.
I cannot prove it, but I believe my cleaning out the fresh water system might have broken loose the crystals from inside the tank causing the clog.

Clogged mixing valves and faucet screens are more common after dewinterizing or when filling an empty water system prior to a trip if the water was drained. The force of the cold water filling the empty water heater can loosen up mineral deposits that then find their way downstream.

Giving the water heater a good flush with a Camco flush wand at least annually is a good idea depending on water hardness. I deal with very hard water and do it once or twice a year. The amount of mineral materials that break loose and drain out is amazing...like a pile of hail on the driveway. I follow that up with a white vinegar soak of the tank overnight to dissolve or loosen stubborn buildup, then flush thoroughly again, where even more comes out. There are Youtube videos on how to do that process. I draw vinegar in to the water tank via the antifreeze valve behind my water pump. 3 or 4 gallons.