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Old 08-18-2012, 10:13 PM   #1
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Water Heater question...it's a dumb one

So, how does water get into the water heater? Is there a separate tank that we have to fill? We have a 2012 Jayflight 26RLS and like a tool, didn't ask this question at our walkthrough. Only took notes on how to turn it on or off.

Man I feel goofy for even asking.
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Old 08-18-2012, 10:47 PM   #2
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It draws from your fresh water tank or city water. There is a bypass valve near the hot water tank to allow water into it
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Old 08-18-2012, 10:53 PM   #3
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No question is a bad question if you don't know the answer and need to know it. When you hook up to city water, the water system pressurizes up just as in your stick house. Water will run through the lines and fill the resovoir tank on your water heater. The same goes if you are using your water pump with your fresh water tank full. The pump will pressurize the hot and cold water lines and hold that pressure so your water system, both hot and cold will give you instant water at the sink, commode, shower, etc.
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Old 08-18-2012, 11:52 PM   #4
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X2 – no question is a bad question. I found a great plumbing schematic earlier today and now I cannot find it. Your TT plumbing is very much like your plumbing in your house. With one exception, you also have a tank with a pump not just a city water connection. So, from your water supply (tank/pump or city water hookup), which is your cold water supply. This main pipe feeds all your cold water faucets and supplies water to your water heater inlet. Your water heaters outlet then feeds all your hot water faucets.

I am guessing because you are asking; you are not getting any hot water out of your water heater, just cold water, I have seen this issue a few times at campgrounds. There is a bypass valve for the water heater. This valve is used to winterize your trailer and keeps all your anti-freeze from going into the water heater tank. When the trailer was dewinterized the dealer may not have turned the valves, so the water source cannot get into the water heater tank.

Check out this link to a winterizing sticky, it might help you understand your plumbing a little more.

http://www.jaycoowners.com/showthrea...nterizing-poll
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Old 08-19-2012, 12:01 AM   #5
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found it, Thanks to RoyBraddy's post #3
[ATTACH][/ATTACH]
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Old 08-19-2012, 11:56 PM   #6
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Thank you all for your help and generous thought. The question didn't arise out of no hot water...it actually arose from just sitting in the living room thinking and dreaming about taking our TT out for an inaugural run next month.
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Old 03-12-2016, 08:53 AM   #7
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Here's something you need to do other than just connecting to your outside water supply and making sure your water heater bypass is correctly set:

If the water heater has been drained (usual case when winterizing) or it has never been filled, it will be full of air. Even when you turn on your outside water, you will only get a limited amount of water into the water heater because the air is taking up that space. So you will need to turn on a hot water tap in the sink or the tub to let the air escape and then the water heater will fill with water.

Oh, and one more thing. Hot water from the heater is HOT. Most RV water heaters have non-adjustable thermostats and are set to 140 degrees. They do this so that your relatively small water heater will actually deliver hot water longer in your shower because you will have to mix it with some cold water. But 140 degrees is generally too hot to wash your hands or shower in without adding cold water from your faucet. Not a problem for most, but if you've got little kids, they might scald themselves. There are a couple of fixes for this. You can buy and install an adjustable thermostat on the heater, or you can just slightly open your bypass valve to allow some cold water to mix with the hot after it exits the heater to bring the temp down. You play with how much to open the bypass valve until you get the temp you want. It just takes a few minutes and costs you nothing.

Here's a copy of Roy Braddy's graphic of an RV water system. The one posted by Jaygiven didn't show up on my screen.


And here's what the water heater bypass valves look like:
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Old 03-12-2016, 10:16 AM   #8
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Do people leave their hot water tank full all season? I drain mine every time I'm done camping..... I also use the pressure relief valve (on the hot water heater) every time I refill to purge most of the air...
Just curious, reading through the comments leads me to believe I'm doing it wrong?
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Old 03-12-2016, 10:21 AM   #9
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Do people leave their hot water tank full all season? I drain mine every time I'm done camping..... I also use the pressure relief valve (on the hot water heater) every time I refill to purge most of the air...
Just curious, reading through the comments leads me to believe I'm doing it wrong?

I think you're doing it right and are doing it correctly. Up here I have no choice. Temperatures during the winter will -40 and colder ...... I have to remove "every drop" of water from the trailer.
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Old 03-12-2016, 10:21 AM   #10
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Do people leave their hot water tank full all season? I drain mine every time I'm done camping..... I also use the pressure relief valve (on the hot water heater) every time I refill to purge most of the air...
Just curious, reading through the comments leads me to believe I'm doing it wrong?
You're doing nothing wrong. Do what works for you.
Using pressure release valve works fine for purging air.
We don't drain hot water tank after each trip, but no problem if that is what you wish to do.
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Old 03-12-2016, 10:22 AM   #11
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Quote:
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Do people leave their hot water tank full all season? I drain mine every time I'm done camping..... I also use the pressure relief valve (on the hot water heater) every time I refill to purge most of the air...
Just curious, reading through the comments leads me to believe I'm doing it wrong?
I can say from experience if you leave well water in the tank and do not use the trailer for a month or two you may have a smelly mess when you go to use it again. So I drain it if it will be sitting more then a few weeks.
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Old 03-12-2016, 10:25 AM   #12
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There is no wrong or right because it depends on circumstances. I drain mine if I'm home for a month and the water at our last cg has a bearing on it. I drain it and bypass it in winter if we arte forecasted for below freezing.

Work out a system and it will work for you.
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Old 03-12-2016, 10:58 AM   #13
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Do people leave their hot water tank full all season? I drain mine every time I'm done camping..... I also use the pressure relief valve (on the hot water heater) every time I refill to purge most of the air...
Just curious, reading through the comments leads me to believe I'm doing it wrong?
Nothing wrong with the way you're purging the air. It "exercises" the pressure relief valve, and you can check that it is indeed opening and closing without leaking. I open mine on the few occasions I have to drain the HWT. Electricians used to tell you to flip your breakers off and on to make sure they are working properly and not sticking, which could cause them to not fully trip and not shut the circuit down.
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Old 03-13-2016, 07:34 AM   #14
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This resurrected thread is three and a half years old. Did Rockypointers get water in their tank BEFORE they fired it up? I hope they'll let us know how things worked out.
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Old 03-13-2016, 07:51 AM   #15
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This resurrected thread is three and a half years old. Did Rockypointers get water in their tank BEFORE they fired it up? I hope they'll let us know how things worked out.
It got resurrected by accident. A new member posted a unrelated question here and that got moved, in the meantime others posted in the thread.
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Old 03-13-2016, 09:26 AM   #16
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Quote:
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Do people leave their hot water tank full all season? I drain mine every time I'm done camping..... I also use the pressure relief valve (on the hot water heater) every time I refill to purge most of the air...
Just curious, reading through the comments leads me to believe I'm doing it wrong?
I drain mine if we don't plan to go out for three weeks or more. If we are going back out in two weeks or less I often keep it full
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Old 03-13-2016, 10:28 AM   #17
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Crabman, got it.
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Old 03-13-2016, 10:37 AM   #18
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Activating elec or gas heat to an empty tank can or will very quickly burn out the WHer. Or that is what I've been told. I typically unplug the large control plug outside on the waterheater unit when I winterize the system to prevent someone from turning on the Wher switch when the tank has been bypassed.

Is the above true and is there another way to prevent accidentially turning it on?
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Old 03-13-2016, 12:51 PM   #19
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It's true. I speak from experience. Fortunately, I turned the electric on an empty WH and only lost the $10 or so element.

Yes, there is another way to prevent the problem. Follow a checklist. I use them for things that I don't do often enough to do correctly by habit and repetition. Like winterizing and dewinterizing. Or if life and limb is involved, like when I flew airplanes.
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Old 03-13-2016, 01:08 PM   #20
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Dewey02, that is a great picture and diagram of the plumbing system!!!thanks for posting it.
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