I've done some research on this, but this is puzzling the **** out of me.I have a travel trailer, and the hot water heater that came with it, which was a Suburban that has a manual pilot light, rusted out. No big deal, so I got the exact same model and installed it. Pilot light fires up and it fills up with water it seems.However, when I go to turn on the faucet, hot water comes out for about 5 seconds and then it is ice cold from there. I have included a pic of our setup and this is exactly what it looks like on the back of the hot water heater.I currently have it in this position as we speak. Now, I've checked from the relief valve outside and can confirm, there is hot water in there. What I do not understand is why this thing is happening now? Just FYI, prior to replacing the hot water heater, we did not have this issue described above. I also removed the brass fittings from the old water heater and put them on the new one. They seemed to be in good working order.Any help is appreciated! This is driving me insane.

By brass fitting I assume you mean the check valve on the hot water side?Did you in fact fill the tank with water prior to lighting it off? Did you verify that water is flowing from the tank? Turn off the water, disconnect the hot side, connect a hose to it, turn on the water and check to be sure you have water flow. Once that is proved reconnect the hot line and verify the valve is in the correct position. With hot water in the tank by changing valve position you should also verify hot water flow.

There should be a shutoff on the bypass line?The cold water is going up into the hot line.

It appears to me you need another shut off on the short line between cold and hot so the cold has to go through the heater.

1. On this type setup, there should be a Brass Check valve at the top hot water exit fitting. I will bet, you installed them in reverse. O)n your set up with the 1 valve. When you bypass, the cold water stops at the valve goes up that short pipe and then feeds the downstream Hot water faucet valves. IF you did not install the check valve in the upper Hot water exit on the heater, you are mixing hot and cold. Verify that the check valve is at the top hot exit of the water heater. Are you positive you installed the Check valves correctly? You can reverse them. The ARROW on the check valve at the hot exit should point away from the water heater. Doug

Are all shower valves turned off as they can cause your problem. Next cap the bypass line and make sure water is flowing through the tank. Why do you have only one bypass valve and is it really a bypass valve? I would expect 2 valves so that you can bypass the tank and drain it for the winter.

Changed hot water heater, now, no hot water. | Good Sam Community

19 Replies

donn0128
Explorer II
Nov 28, 2016
OK, you have them backwords. The check valve needs to be on the hot out(top) hole.
RWjSIM2003
Explorer
Nov 28, 2016
Did you open up the pressure relief Valve on the WH and then let it fill up the tank until water comes out the valve. This will let you know that the tank is full. If you did not do this step you will get very little hot water out of the tank.
motc777
Explorer
Nov 28, 2016
dougrainer wrote:
1. On this type setup, there should be a Brass Check valve at the top hot water exit fitting. I will bet, you installed them in reverse. O)n your set up with the 1 valve. When you bypass, the cold water stops at the valve goes up that short pipe and then feeds the downstream Hot water faucet valves. IF you did not install the check valve in the upper Hot water exit on the heater, you are mixing hot and cold. Verify that the check valve is at the top hot exit of the water heater. Are you positive you installed the Check valves correctly? You can reverse them. The ARROW on the check valve at the hot exit should point away from the water heater. Doug

You know what, you may very well be right. Let me ask you this, in this picture, is this what should be installed on the hot water side?
motc777
Explorer
Nov 28, 2016
donn0128 wrote:
By brass fitting I assume you mean the check valve on the hot water side?

There were two brass fittings on the old water heater. One on top for the hot and one on the bottom. The one that is currently is in the top (hot) just appears to be a brass fitting that is hollow on the inside.

On the cold water side (bottom) the brass fitting has some type of white plastic little nipple thing on the inside.

Did you in fact fill the tank with water prior to lighting it off? Did you verify that water is flowing from the tank? Turn off the water, disconnect the hot side, connect a hose to it, turn on the water and check to be sure you have water flow. Once that is proved reconnect the hot line and verify the valve is in the correct position. With hot water in the tank by changing valve position you should also verify hot water flow.

Yep. Last night as a matter of fact, I took the hose off the connector to the hot water side and verified that I do have flow. (I just turned it on for like a few seconds and water starting gushing out.) BTW, based on the picture I submitted, is that the position I should have the valve in for normal operation?
CA_Traveler
Explorer III
Nov 28, 2016
Are all shower valves turned off as they can cause your problem.

Next cap the bypass line and make sure water is flowing through the tank.

Why do you have only one bypass valve and is it really a bypass valve? I would expect 2 valves so that you can bypass the tank and drain it for the winter.
dougrainer
Nomad
Nov 28, 2016
1. On this type setup, there should be a Brass Check valve at the top hot water exit fitting. I will bet, you installed them in reverse. O)n your set up with the 1 valve. When you bypass, the cold water stops at the valve goes up that short pipe and then feeds the downstream Hot water faucet valves. IF you did not install the check valve in the upper Hot water exit on the heater, you are mixing hot and cold. Verify that the check valve is at the top hot exit of the water heater. Are you positive you installed the Check valves correctly? You can reverse them. The ARROW on the check valve at the hot exit should point away from the water heater. Doug
VoodooMedicineM
Explorer
Nov 28, 2016
It appears to me you need another shut off on the short line between cold and hot so the cold has to go through the heater.
Byrogie
Explorer
Nov 28, 2016
There should be a shutoff on the bypass line?
The cold water is going up into the hot line.
donn0128
Explorer II
Nov 28, 2016
By brass fitting I assume you mean the check valve on the hot water side?
Did you in fact fill the tank with water prior to lighting it off? Did you verify that water is flowing from the tank? Turn off the water, disconnect the hot side, connect a hose to it, turn on the water and check to be sure you have water flow. Once that is proved reconnect the hot line and verify the valve is in the correct position. With hot water in the tank by changing valve position you should also verify hot water flow.

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Changed hot water heater, now, no hot water.

19 Replies

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