WATER HEATER PROBLEM

[ajjoez]

We have a 2002 Montana 5th wheel we have lived in for 3 years. We had to turn the water off for a couple of days due to a problem with the faucet in the shower. When we turned the water back on we have no water coming out of the hot water faucets. We had a plumber come out, but he had no clue of how to fix it. We turn the water off when we go on trips, etc and have never had a problem until now. PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN.........

[CmdrDewey]

There is a check valve that can stick. when that happens-no water. You might be able to get water by opening a hot water faucet very, very slowly. If you have a single lever faucet turn it on cold and very slowly move it to hot. that does not always work but try it a few times. Sometimes just waiting a bit will do it as well. If that doesn't work look for the water heater and at both the top and bottom there should be a brass fitting that looks sort of like a pressure reducer. Drain the water heater and take one off. Better yet, take them both off and leave them off. You should be able to get water now. If you have to winterize your rig you will have to figure out which one is bad because that is how you bypass the water heater when winterizing. If you don't winterize I'm told it will do no harm to leave them both off.

[Tom S.]

You didn't turn one or both of the winterize valves on by mistake did you?

[sreigle]

The purpose of the check valve is to keep hot water from back flowing into the cold water line, or so I understand. I also thought there is just one and that it's on the incoming cold water line but I could be wrong about that, too. You can leave it off if you want to get you by but I think I'd replace it soon as I can. Last time I bought one at an RV dealer it was only around five bucks. Take the old one with you to match the size and thread.

What bothers me is the coincidence of this valve failing at the same time you turned the water back on. Anyone know if it's possible for an airlock to cause this problem? If so, maybe draining the lines at the low point drains and then opening all faucets (escape path for the air) before turning the water on again would solve it? I'm grasping at straws here.

Is there any chance the winterizing valve for bypassing the water heater was turned when turning off the water? But then you'd get cold water out of the hot faucet. But if your model has two bypass valves like our 2003 did, then if you turned just one off, that might shut off the flow to the hot faucet. Again, grasping here.

Good luck. Please let us know the solution when you figure it out.

[sreigle]

Oops, Tom, your post came in while I was composing mine and trying to finish a load of laundry for Vicki while she's gone. sorry.