Frozen hot water system

scotth220 · 01-11-2016, 09:36 AM

Help. My hot water system is frozen. Cold water works fine. I get no water out of any of my faucets. I have been blowing a hair dryer into the cavity where the water pipes run to no avail. Any tips or hints? Thanks in advance

2013 jay I eagle 314 bds

Tunce the traveler · 01-11-2016, 11:07 AM

Don't have your unit so I can't help with the problem area but a word of Caution. It's important to physically see where the frozen section actually is because if it's at one of the plastic fittings it could crack it and you could have a silent leak after the water starts flowing again.

Jagiven · 01-11-2016, 12:30 PM

The issue might not be the water heater it's self, might be the pipes leading to or from the heater.

You can check the flow to the water heater, by opening the pressure relief valve, just be prepared for hot spraying water.

Check where your pipes.run and open all the cabinets that have piping in, under, behind them

dalebra · 01-11-2016, 12:54 PM

Are you sure you don't have either the inlet valve or the outlet valve to / from the water heater closed?

VicS1950 · 01-11-2016, 01:22 PM

What is the ambient temperature?

Was the RV in storage or did it happen while parked and connected?

Good comments so far.

My 2 cents.

If frozen, it is likely pipes as has been mentioned. A hair dryer is not much heat. You may need to tent the open sides with cheap tarps and then use a 1500 Watt heater in the enclosed space. A Polonis cube heater or similar is 1500 watts.

I agree with the concern about leaks. After you get things going, you can do a static test to check for major leaks. Leaving everything connected, turn off the water supply. Leave all inside valves closed and undisturbed for a couple hours then try a sink faucet for pressure. If the pressure is good then you likely don't have a major leak.

Unfortunately the "static test" will not check for more minor leaks. To check for those you need a pressure gauge.

vic

Edd505 · 01-11-2016, 01:28 PM

Was the water heater bypassed to winterize? I remember the same issue once and guess who forgot to reopen valves, lots of cold and not a drop of warm.

Bassdogs · 01-11-2016, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scotth220

Help. My hot water system is frozen. Cold water works fine. I get no water out of any of my faucets. I have been blowing a hair dryer into the cavity where the water pipes run to no avail. Any tips or hints? Thanks in advance

2013 jay I eagle 314 bds

Need a lot more details about when this occurred and what you were doing. Coming out of storage? After a cold day/nite while camping? After you refilled your fresh water or connected to city water? Etc. My guess if it was anything to do with first trip out after winterizing is that you didn't open all the valves in the bypass.

Resolved yet? Don't be shy, we all do crazy stuff.

RedHorse1 · 01-11-2016, 06:43 PM

On our first sub-freezing night (~28deg or so) I got up to use the head in the small hours. No flush and I figured my lines were frozen.
Turns out the CG had shut their water off out of freeze fears.

usmc616 · 01-11-2016, 09:48 PM

I wish you would of posted more information. What I find strange is the cold water is working fine but not the hot water, if using the city water connection or drawing from your fresh water tank, both hot and cold water use the same input. I do not think the blockage is in the hot water line simply because that water would be hot and why would that water line freeze with hot water and not the lines with cold water?

Higgy · 01-12-2016, 12:45 AM

You could try opening the pressure relief valve from the hot water tank. Be careful as it will be hot if turned on. If you have flow there then the problem will be from the tank to the taps. If no flow there then its the cold supply to the tank that you will need to check first. Doubtful the actual tank will be frozen if your cold is working elsewhere.
Like a previous message says too, be careful once thawed out as if there is a problem, thats when it will show up, so be ready to turn off the water.I would think its more likely to be in the underbelly than inside the unit if the cold is still running. Of course this is providing you have got the hot system turned on properly. Also if you have a heated underbelly you should have the heat running and hopefully get it warm under there.

JimDann · 12-28-2017, 07:31 AM

I’ve had the same thing happen twice now on my 2015 Seneca. Once in New Mexico when the temp was 11, and right now in Gatlinburg when temp reached 20 overnight. The problem, I think is where the water line leaves the main cluster of piping and heads to the water heater, it must travel in a less insulated area (tankless water heater is located in the far rear) that doesn’t pick up as much ambient heat from the coach, thus allowing it to freeze, I have a small electric space heater in the water/sewer compartment now hoping that will fix the problem on cold nights.

ifallsguy · 12-28-2017, 11:08 AM

Is it possible you have only 1 bypass valve open? Did you have hot water before it froze?

JimDann · 12-28-2017, 08:45 PM

Yes, we had hot water the night before, no hot water the next morning overnight temp was 24 F , but around 11 am it thawed out and we had water again.

Atlee · 01-01-2018, 03:08 PM

If the temp is going to go below freezing while out camping, i have the HW heater on all night.

RVermont · 01-01-2018, 03:28 PM

The problem with Seneca design and I believe this is true of all the units except the RB is that the water line suppling the water heater has a long run. It runs from the wet bay along and over the black tank across into the next compartment over the water tank and then into the rear compartment. Then this line runs that same snake pattern back to the wet bay. I installed two shut off valves on these lines so I can shut off the water to and from the heater, I then just open the heater drain valve and allow it to empty out. When I need hot water and if feel the temp is okay i open them up and start the unit back up.
Jayco could have saved 35’ of piping and numerous fittings if they had just run conduit in the generator bay and run the water lines though that. You could get hot water much quicker as well.

Just as a side note the original post was from Jan of 2016.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Atlee · 01-01-2018, 03:57 PM

True not knowinf the plumbing lines does make a difference. You are correct about the 23RB. All the plumbing is relatively compact.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RVermont

The problem with Seneca design and I believe this is true of all the units except the RB is that the water line suppling the water heater has a long run. It runs from the wet bay along and over the black tank across into the next compartment over the water tank and then into the rear compartment. Then this line runs that same snake pattern back to the wet bay. I installed two shut off valves on these lines so I can shut off the water to and from the heater, I then just open the heater drain valve and allow it to empty out. When I need hot water and if feel the temp is okay i open them up and start the unit back up.
Jayco could have saved 35’ of piping and numerous fittings if they had just run conduit in the generator bay and run the water lines though that. You could get hot water much quicker as well.

Just as a side note the original post was from Jan of 2016.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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