No hot water

the bypass valve allows no water into the heater(right?) i get water into the heater and it heats, when i open the hot water faucet in the (take your pick, bath,shower, sink kitchen) i get cold water. the only access i have to the back of the heater is a small panel behind the toilet. to really get at anything in the back of the heater, i would have to remove the toilet.

No hot water as in 'no flow of water at all thru faucets?
OR
Water flows thru faucets but is not hot?

No FLOW.........bad check valve on water heater hot outlet line (top)

Flow but not hot........water heater BYPASS valve still Open

If you are getting water flowing on the hot side of your faucets, but it's not hot, you either have a bypass valve in the wrong position or one of your showers (usually outside) is turned on on the hot and cold side and the button on the head is in the off position. Make sure your shower valves are turned off.

Bruce

Sounds like the check valve on outlet side of HWH is bad/stuck. The inner workings of these valves are cheap plastic and fail frequently. Unfortunately, the valve must be removed to repair/replace. This is not a big job if you have clear access to the rear of the HWH.

Did you reset your winterizing bypass valves?