No Hot water

1. TPR valves are meant to be opened and closed manually. Both Atwood and Suburban will state to do this to troubleshoot certain problems.
2. Atwood Water Heaters have a so called TPR seepage problem. This is because Atwoods require an Air Gap and when the Gap is gone the TPR valve will seep. Once the Air Gap is restored the TPR will not seep again. Unqualified RV techs and DIY's replace the TPR when it is not needed due to this type issue.
3. ALWAYS drain the RV Water heater 3 or 4 times a year. Depending on the water Quality, Mineral build up can happen very quickly.
4. Residential Water Heaters. FOLLOW THE WATER HEATER MAKER INSTRUCTIONS. Some have built in agitators that do not allow the corrosive mineral build up to corrode the tank. Others(cheaper models) will state to drain 1 to 2 times a year. This also depends on your local water quality.
5. When you have a LACK of hot water, the FIRST thing you do after you have allowed the WH to heat up is to POP the TPR valve. IF HOT water comes out then you have a tank full and have HOT water. IF no water comes out there is NO WATER in the tank. Find the reason(Bypass valve or such). Doug

wa8yxm wrote:
A professional plumber has an interest in selling you a new water heater... Just so you know.. I have no such interest.

Im the plumber though. Ive done maybe 10 water heaters over the years. Trying to give you guys behind the scenes construction talk.

The last time it came up with the slab leak owner finally sealed the deal for me. I wont ever recommend draining a water heater to home owners anymore.

Unless it was brand new. If i one day buy a brand new water heater then hell yes im draining that sucker.

wopachop wrote:
He also notices the hose i have running from the water heater. Says with all his years experience he tells people to never drain the water heater and never touch the pressure relief.

A professional plumber has an interest in selling you a new water heater... Just so you know.. I have no such interest.

in 15 years I have replaced the TPR valve one time, and that is because I replaced the tank and it came with a brand new TPR valve. the old one still works as designed but since I had the new one...

Kind of like when I did the front brakes. We had the wheels of and the brake calipers off the rotors so I figured replace the pads and save the labor charge.

Cscpl2001 wrote:
New to Rving... did the whole winterizing. I flushed all the antifreeze from the lines.. now I'm not getting any hot water.. it's a 2019 keystone 22rbs with both electric and gas water heater. Checked all my valves.. all water is flowing.. just not hot.. gas ignites and heats up..any assistance is appreciated

One thing you might already know is make sure water is in the water heater tank before you turn on the heat. Sometimes the electric switch is turned on and people forget. Even after they drain the tank.

Is it possible you drained the tank and just havnt given it time to fill back up?

Or maybe the 1-way valve exiting the water heater is stuck closed?

If you drain using the pressure relief valve frequently, and your water isn't too hard, you should be fine. The ones to not touch are the ones that haven't been touched on 5 or 10 years. Those are guaranteed to leak.

You're rare and disciplined. If I had my own brand new water heater I'm not sure which path I would take.

I drain and flush my RV water heater like a madman. Previous owner never touched it. Anode rod was a toothpick.

"Says with all his years experience he tells people to never drain the water heater"

Too darn funny!

My Propane RHEEM Water Heater was installed early 1996, drained it most every year. Still going strong!!!

Do what you will. Last example was a slab leak detection company. They dont install water heaters. That company came out 3 separate times and didnt charge us a dime. Owner of the company saw me draining the water heater and gave his advice. Wasnt the first time i had a plumber tell me that.

wopachop wrote:
Been working different construction trades since the 90s. Over the years ive had numerous plumbers tell me to never ever touch the pressure relief valve.

Working at a house with a slap leak. Guy comes out with his equipment. Cant find it. Another guy from same company comes out. He cant find. 3rd time the owner of the company comes out with a helper. He says all his years and this is a rare occasion they cant find our slab leak.

He also notices the hose i have running from the water heater. Says with all his years experience he tells people to never drain the water heater and never touch the pressure relief.

Just info i thought i would pass along. Luckily the part is cheap and easy to repair ive installed a few over the years.

If I was a plumber called out to a house to fix a certain issue, and I touched that pressure relief valve and it leaks after, where it didn't before, I could see a homeowner not wanting to pay for it.
However, as the end user, it is my valve. If I touch it and it then doesn't seal, it wouldn't likely seal again if the pressure in the tank rose to a point it needed to relieve pressure. So I would replace it. I'd rather see it leaking and know it needs replaced. Then to happen to notice water leaking out of the trailer.

As for draining a water heater at the house. Do what the manufacturer recommends. Not the man that makes his living charging way to much to replace them.

Been working different construction trades since the 90s. Over the years ive had numerous plumbers tell me to never ever touch the pressure relief valve.

Working at a house with a slap leak. Guy comes out with his equipment. Cant find it. Another guy from same company comes out. He cant find. 3rd time the owner of the company comes out with a helper. He says all his years and this is a rare occasion they cant find our slab leak.

He also notices the hose i have running from the water heater. Says with all his years experience he tells people to never drain the water heater and never touch the pressure relief.

Just info i thought i would pass along. Luckily the part is cheap and easy to repair ive installed a few over the years.