Hot Water Heater Bypass

[1L243]

I have had a 3 valve system and a one valve system but I have never had a two valve system. I am beginning the process of winterizing and want to bypass the hot water heater and am a little perplexed.

Cold line in on the bottom, Hot line on the top. If I shut the cold line valve it would stop water from going into the hot water tank but wouldn't it stop the water from circulating?

What are your thoughts

[1L243]

I never thought of the cold valve being a two way valve I was thinking of and off and on. Thanks for the input.

[Bobbo]

newman fulltimer wrote:
both handles point up for bypass

What ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ he said! (Or, the top valve may POSSIBLY point down instead.)

[newman_fulltime]

both handles point up for bypass

[Artum_Snowbird]

The bottom is a two way valve, it either lets through straight or shuts off straight and sends it the other way like it should. The top valve is an on/off valve only. If you send water upward with the bottom valve, you want to make sure the top valve is shut off.

Once you have them set to go up on the bottom, and not go into the HWT on the top, you will send cold water to all your taps, both hot and cold. HWT will be bypassed.

[Bipeflier]

Mine is like that. There is a check valve in the hot line coming out of the tank. Stops backflow into tank.

With the valves set to bypass cold water will still circulate to everything except the water heater tank.