Water heater

[nikkikreitz02]

My boyfriend and I just purchased a 93 jayco travel trailer. We turned the electrical switch on for the hot water heater and let it stay on all night so when we woke up in the morning we would have hot water. When you turn on the faucet it spits hot water out and then acts as if there is air in the line while spitting out cold water. The air stops and it's back to hot water. We believe we just need to buy a new hot water heater but are unsure. Any ideas or directions on what to do are much appreciated! Thank you!

[BroRobin]

Before buying and installing a new water heater, try some trouble shooting.
>Disconnect fresh water supply(or turn off at source)
> Locate drain valve on heater and drain. If no drain valve locate anode Rod and remove it- drain water heater tank. You may need to open a hot water faucet to help facilitate. Then refill (close valve/replace anode Rod).
> another area to check, locate bypass valves, you should find an access panel or opening inside the trailer on the back side of water heater, verify the valves are completely open and shut in the proper mode (YouTube is your friend, many videos of water valve bypass for wintering can be found.

If you water heater is heating I don’t think it’s a heater issue, the water lines could just need to be ran to flush out trapped air.

Hope this helps. Good luck and no doubt someone else may chime in with better info.

[Jagiven]

X2. Do you know what water heater make and model you have?

If the water heater tank was empty, it will always spit air for a while. It is surprising how much trapped air they can hold. Most of the time when I fill my WH I open the outside cover, and open the pressure relief, this gets most of the air out of the tank, but not all. The cold water might just be residue water left in the line from a previous trip, if the water heater was drained via its outside low point drain.

On a 93 model you may or may not have bypass valves. Look behind the water heater for them. Often you need a #2 screw driver bit to access the area (I removed the screw on mine and never put it back in). Check the valve positions. Bypass should be closed, the inlet and outlet should be open.

Not directly related to your issue, but being new to you. Pending on the water heater you have, you may have an anode rod in your tank, very much worth verifying its condition and replacing it if needed. Most people seem to need to replace them every 2 years or so.

Spitting water sounds normal on a freshly filled water heater tank.

[Wsw]

Yep. If you are spitting water your tank is still getting air out. I let my hot water faucet run till no spitting. 2 gpm x 5 minutes is 10 gallons. Most heaters are that or less.

If after 5 minutes you are still spitting water. You could be sucking air. That might mean a leak. I still think just when you hook up water let hot water faucet run longer.

[Cavie]

Originally Posted by nikkikreitz02

My boyfriend and I just purchased a 93 jayco travel trailer. We turned the electrical switch on for the hot water heater and let it stay on all night so when we woke up in the morning we would have hot water. When you turn on the faucet it spits hot water out and then acts as if there is air in the line while spitting out cold water. The air stops and it's back to hot water. We believe we just need to buy a new hot water heater but are unsure. Any ideas or directions on what to do are much appreciated! Thank you!

just let the air out of the one you have. And be sure to never turn it on with no water init.