Winter Full-timing... How to????

[frankfarmer]

Making it OK, down Lake Guntersville, north Alabama area, full skirt all around, 2 heat bulbs underneath, left water running in all faucets, all seems to be OK. high today here 24 & low of 14. Good luck to all other full timers.

[somedaysoon]

new problem.....ice cycles below water heater door on exterior..... the water heater is working. I am running the water line. It is hooked up to city water, that is wrapped and heat coiled.
No water leakage seen.
It is a 88 excella 25'. Could this be a water plug leaking?
suggestions are welcome........

[masseyfarm]

Originally Posted by HoosierGypsy

new problem.....ice cycles below water heater door on exterior..... the water heater is working. I am running the water line. It is hooked up to city water, that is wrapped and heat coiled.

Originally Posted by HoosierGypsy

No water leakage seen.
It is a 88 excella 25'. Could this be a water plug leaking?
suggestions are welcome........

Use a hair dryer or heat gun to melt the ice off the door and open and inspect the tank area. It may just be the heat or the unit melting the area above the door. If its the plug, wrapping with a little tethlon tape should do the trick.(available at any hardware/auto store)
If you have a big leak it would probably show up on the inside on the floor.
Dave

[fmr.capt.evi]

It's not unusual for the pressure relief valve to vent a small amount of water as the tank heats up, especially if it's been off for a while.

[somedaysoon]

It has been running for days. I am able to break away the ice cycles to open the water heater door. The ice is a lot! but there seems to be no water dripping within the area. I lifted the release valve and steamy water shot out.
the drain plug doesn't seem to be leaking but it doesn't seem to be installed all the way?
no water inside detected. I have yet to remove the bed.......

[somedaysoon]

no water in the exterior storage adjacent to the water heater, what next?

[masseyfarm]

Originally Posted by HoosierGypsy

no water in the exterior storage adjacent to the water heater, what next?

Not sure of your setup, but if your problem is below the fridge roof vent, (heat from fridge causes melt) then the water may be running down and freezing up at that point where it drips.
Doesn't sound to serious.
Dave

[Gene]

Hoosier,

The plug doesn't look like it goes in all the way on mine either. All that is important is that it seals. Usually plastic plugs seal better than metal, but teflon doesn't hurt. If you feel any drip or dampness under the plug, then you have a problem. The plug threads are much softer than the water heater threads, so be careful not to overtighten it and strip the plastic threads.

I expect moisture moves down the side of the trailer in the sun, collects on the upper edge of the water heater door and gradually drips down, or frost collects on the door at night and melts during the day, or the heat from the water heater attracts condensation on the door and above it. One or more of these things causes some moisture to run down the door and then freeze at the bottom where it's colder.

Gene

[somedaysoon]

ok, I am going above freezing this week and will empty the water heater, then see if it is the plug?
the refrigerator is further forward.
this is a 25' excella with rear bed. the water heater is below the bed street side. water turned icicle.....is below the water heater door, coming from inside the water compart somewhere? the only dampness I can locate is the drain plug area and the release valve...
I am keeping the heater lit this is gas only heater. I am also leaving the interior water running.always something.......
thank you everyone for your advice and suggestions
hoosier heading further south

[TouringDan]

Hoosier

I agree with Gene's take on the source of the water.

I don't see any reason to empty the wh to see if the plug is leaking. Once you get above freezing you will be able to see if the wh drain plug is leaking.

Dan

[masseyfarm]

[QUOTE=HoosierGypsy;926465]ok, I am going above freezing this week and will empty the water heater, then see if it is the plug?
the refrigerator is further forward.
this is a 25' excella with rear bed. the water heater is below the bed street side. water turned icicle.....is below the water heater door, coming from inside the water compart somewhere? the only dampness I can locate is the drain plug area and the release valve...
I am keeping the heater lit this is gas only heater. I am also leaving the interior water running.always something.......
thank you everyone for your advice and suggestions
hoosier heading further south[/QUOTE]


Just make sure you shut off the water heater before draining the tank. (dumb things happen)
Dave

[pmclemore]

I think it is from the water heater popoff valve. Natural for it to happen during times of use, usually not visible unless it's cold enough to leave evidence (such as icicles).

Unless it is a big one, I guess.
Pat

[Gene]

Originally Posted by HoosierGypsy

ok, I am going above freezing this week and will empty the water heater, then see if it is the plug?

An empty water heater will not leak.

The only way you can tell is if the tank is full. If it's dripping, you will either see it or feel it. The water should be warm or hot if the water heater has been on. Check the area around the plug where it is screwed into the tank to see if it is damp—you can check this with a dry paper towel. Any dampness will show up on the towel. Then see how tight the plug is if there's any leak. If it's loose, tighten until it's fairly tight—maybe 10-15 foot pounds. If there's dampness or a leak and it was tight, tighten it maybe 1/8 turn, dry off the plug area and come back in an hour and check again. At some point, you'll have to stop tightening because you'll strip the threads.

If you get to that point, turn off the water and the hot water heater. Wait for a while for it to cool down a little, then release pressure by opening the pressure relief valve with gloves on while standing aside (it'll be hot for hours). After the water stops coming out, you can take out the plug. Inspect it for stripped threads or dirt. Also inspect the threads on the tank to make sure there is no dirt. Put some white teflon plumbing tape around the plug and reinstall it.

It doesn't sound like there's much of a leak if there is a leak, so you don't have to worry about it. Just check it out when you can. These kind of plugs do not leak very often if tightened properly.

Gene

[cclarkego]

Here is a dumb question. When hooked to city water does the heater automatically fill up with water? I was wondering about it when I was checking the heater flame worrying there might be no water in it.

[Gene]

It should but air bubbles in the water line or low water pressure may cause a problem. It's best to open a hot water faucet to make sure the air is out of the line. You can also open the pressure relief valve to see if water comes out (do this when the water is still cold).

Gene

[BobOgletree]

No such thing as a dumb question.... I was wondering the same thing while reading these comments.

[NevadaGeo]

Mine has shut off ball valves on inlet and outlet at the water heater, I suppose I could shut them and run with the water heater empty. If they're shut, it's hard to get water into the water heater.
Shouldn't be too hard to check if there's water in the water heater tank, there'd be the hose bib at the tank, the pop off valve, or see if you have hot water inside.

[dmac]

Update on the heat pump... with the thermostat set to "Heat Pump" last night, I was surprised this morning to find the furnace running. Apparently it got cold enough to do the automatic switchover. As the day warmed up it switched back automatically. This is great news that will save on the heat bill.

[dmac]

It got down to ~0 F last night, and is about that now. The cold water line froze between the curb (kitchen) side of the trailer and the street (bathroom) side. The hot water pipe is still working.

Looking at the trailer manual I learned that water lines go from curbside to streetside under the floor, apparently above the fresh water tank. I pulled up the curbside closet floor panel and found where the pipes head down. I also found where a heat duct branches at a "T", with a ~2" flexible heat duct heading towards the underfloor opening where the water pipes go. However, the heat duct does not go into that hole, just in the vicinity. It appears that Airstream didn't quite put it where it needed to go, so very little heat was getting to the fresh water tank or underfloor pipes. I placed the end of the duct down into that opening and am hoping that it will defrost my pipe!

While looking around in there I was thouroughly unimpressed with the quality of assembly. Looks like a couple kids put the wiring, plumbing, and heating together. No pride of craftsmanship.

Anyway, if others suffer from frozen pipes this is one place to check!

[wasagachris]

Dan I had similar problems on my trailer. A quick fix is to use a hair dryer pointed down where the line goes through the floor to cross over the trailer. This would only happen in extreme cold weather like your'e having now. Hope this helps you.
Happy New Year.