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Kmaines's avatar
Kmaines
Explorer
Jun 01, 2016

2014 chateau, hot water, what am I missing

We bought a used 2015 Thor Chateau 33sw. I get no hot water to kitchen or bathroom. Relief valve gives hot water at the tank and the outside shower will flow hot water. I have the bypass valve open butstill no hot water to kitchen or bathroom . I can feel hot water for a brief second in the bathroom and kitchen then it stops. Anyone have advice? Thanks in advance.
  • Water heater BYPASS needs to be CLOSED for normal operation (Bypass connects cold to hot)

    Normal
    Cold inlet OPEN
    Bypass Closed
    Hot outlet Open (if there is a shutoff valve vs just a check valve)

    Bypass
    Cold inlet Closed
    Bypass Open
    Hot outlet Closed (no valve then check valve stops flow back nto WH tank)
  • Besides the water heater bypass, verify that you have turned off the taps for the outside shower and not merely shut off the valve on the shower head (or in its hose). If the taps are open but the shower head valve shut, the shower is off but the hot and cold water lines are connected together, which tends to lead to unpredictable hot water performance, much like if the water heater bypass is improperly set.

    Chances are very, very good your problem is either this or the water heater bypass as Old-Biscuit suggested.
  • Thanks a bunch for the help, I will check it out tonight and report back.
  • So I am stumped.To the left of the bypass the red hot water line is warm to the touch all the way to where it splits to go to the sink, the outside shower and back to the bathroom. Beyond that junction the lines are cold to the touch. I see no check valve or manual valve beyond the hot water heater area. I get no water at all from the taps when I turn it to hot. What am I missing? I can sit here and turn the bypass valve and feel the water in the line go hot to cold and back again. When I turn it to back to hot water on the tap runs dry. Tia

    https://www.dropbox.com/sh/py98l09a73hni7v/AADaNNPgsX4t6BqZffNbGnT_a?dl=0
  • Either your water heater input valve or output valve is not open, or something is blocking the flow of water from the water heater--sometimes there's a check valve built into the water heater, and that could be failing to let water through if it were stuck shut.

    Close the bypass valve (so that the water from the faucet stops). Turn the other valves to their opposite position, one at a time, and see if the water flows. If not, I'd detach the connections to the water heater and see what's going on there. (Obviously, in this last case, the water system and water heater should be drained unless you fancy a flood.)
  • I drained the tank and disconnected the hot water line from the tank. Then I blew air in the hot water line and it blew the water out the sink faucet, no blockage there. Then I blew air into the tank and it was free flowing, no check valve or blockage. I hookef it back up and filled the tank and opened the hot water valve. Then I opened the bypass valve and got water out of the hot water tap. I turned the bypass valve off and the water stops from the hot water tap. Uuuggghhh, I don't understand. Am I missing something obvious? I also took the check valve out but it was not a check valve, it was just a hollow brass fitting. Is there an internal mechanism in these tanks that would stop water from flowing out? I felt inside the tank and there was no obstruction. Tia